St Brendan's Chapel, Skipness facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Brendan's Chapel |
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The chapel ruins in 2018
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| 55°45′57″N 5°19′58″W / 55.7659°N 5.3327°W | |
| Location | Skipness, Argyll and Bute |
| Country | Scotland |
St Brendan's Chapel, also called Kilbrannan Chapel, is the ruin of a church from the Middle Ages. It is located near the village of Skipness in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The chapel was named after St. Brendan, a famous Irish monk and sailor.
Historians believe the chapel was built in the late 1200s or early 1300s. This was around the same time as the nearby Skipness Castle. The chapel is a great example of a church from that time. It is also important because of its connection to the castle and its collection of old, carved tombstones.
Because of its historical importance, the chapel and the castle are protected by law as a scheduled monument. This means they are special historic sites that must be preserved.
Contents
What the Chapel Looks Like
St Brendan's Chapel stands near the shore of the Kilbrannan Sound, with a view of the Isle of Arran. It is about 330 meters away from Skipness Castle. The chapel is quite large compared to other medieval chapels in the area.
The Building's Structure
The chapel is a large, rectangular building without a roof. It measures 25 meters long and 8 meters wide. The walls are very thick, between 1.14 and 1.37 meters.
The main walls were built with rough stones arranged in layers. Fancier, reddish sandstone was used for the doorways, windows, and cornerstones. This created a nice contrast in the building's appearance.
Windows and Doors
The chapel had several tall, narrow windows with pointed tops, known as lancet windows. These windows were splayed, meaning they were wider on the inside to let in more light.
At the east end of the church, there is a large, beautiful window. The stone supports inside the window form a "Y" shape at the top. This is called a Y-traceried window. The chapel had three doors: two on the south wall (one is now blocked up) and one on the north wall.
The Graveyard
Next to the chapel is a graveyard that is still used by the local community today. It contains five special tombstones from the late Middle Ages. These are called recumbent tombstones because they lie flat on the ground.
The graveyard also has many other old gravestones. Some are from before the Reformation in the 1500s, and many others are from the 1700s and 1800s.
History of the Chapel
The name "Kilbrannan" suggests that an even older church once stood on this spot. Archaeologists have found early medieval graves here, supporting this idea.
The chapel we see today was built to replace an earlier one dedicated to St. Columba, which was closer to Skipness Castle. St Brendan's Chapel was likely built at the same time as the castle was being expanded.
For centuries, it served as the local parish church. It was used for worship even after people stopped living in the castle. Records show it was still in use in 1692. The chapel was abandoned as a church sometime in the 1700s. This may have happened when a new church was built in the nearby village of Claonaig.
