St Mary's Kirk, Auchindoir facts for kids
St Mary's Kirk is an old church building in Auchindoir, Scotland. It is located between the villages of Rhynie and Lumsden in Aberdeenshire. This church is one of the best examples of a medieval (Middle Ages) parish kirk (a local church) still standing in Scotland.
The main entrance has a special design called early Romanesque. This style was popular a very long time ago. Inside, there is a well-kept "sacrament house" from the early 1500s. This is a special stone cupboard where holy items were kept. St Mary's Kirk was built in the early 1200s. It has not had a roof since the early 1800s, but its walls are still in good shape. Today, Historic Scotland looks after it, and it is a protected old monument.
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A Rare Old Church Building
St Mary's Kirk is quite special because it has survived for so long without big changes. Many old churches in Scotland were changed a lot after the Scottish Reformation in the 1500s. The Reformation was a time when people changed how they worshipped. Because of this, it's often hard to see how old churches originally looked.
St Mary's Kirk is also unusual because most other very old buildings that are still standing are large monasteries or cathedrals. These were big, important church buildings. St Mary's was just a regular local church, which makes its survival even more unique.
History of St Mary's Kirk
St Mary's Kirk was built around the early 1200s. It served as the church for a nearby castle, which was a type of fort called a motte and bailey. The church was first written about in 1236. It was named after the Virgin Mary. There was even a well nearby called St Mary's Well. People believed this well could help with toothaches!
In 1514, the church became more important. It started to receive money from King's College in Aberdeen. This meant it had enough money to support a canon, who was a type of priest. The church continued to be used as a local church and was not changed much during the Reformation. However, in the 1600s, some updates were made. Most of the tall, narrow windows (called "lancet windows") were replaced with bigger ones.
By 1810, people stopped using St Mary's Kirk for worship. The old wooden parts of the church were sold. A new church was built nearby the next year, and St Mary's was left empty.
Special Features of the Church
St Mary's Kirk is known as one of the best examples of 13th-century architecture in Northern Scotland. It shows a time when older building styles were changing into newer, more flexible ones. One interesting thing is that the church faces north and south, instead of the usual east and west. Even though it lost its roof in the 1800s, the walls are still strong. They are made of rough stone and smooth, cut stones called quoins at the corners.
The main part of the church (the nave) leads straight into the altar area (the chancel) without any dividing walls. Some changes were made in the early 1500s and again in the 1600s, when new doors and windows were added. The bell tower on the west side of the church was built in 1664.
One of the most impressive parts of St Mary's is its Norman-style arched doorway. It has beautiful zigzag patterns called "chevron decorations." Near the church's outer wall, there is an old grave slab from 1580. It has initials and a family crest that belong to the Gordon family from Craig Castle.
Inside the church, on the north wall, you can see a very decorated sacrament house. It was built in the early 1500s and is set into what used to be a lancet window. Above it, there is a carving of Christ on the cross. The sacrament house has a Latin message carved into it: "HIC•E•CORP D N I C V M". This means "Here is the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Virgin Mary."
Two shields are also set into the east wall, close to the sacrament house. One shield is from 1557 and shows the Gordon family's crest and their motto, "Hoip in God" (Hope in God). The other shield has the initials V.G : C.C. and shows the crests of the Gordon and Cheyne families. Their motto is "Grace me Gyid" (Grace guide me). These shields belong to William Gordon and Clare Cheyne, who were the lord and lady of the castle at that time.
Sources
- Jervise, A: "Notes respecting the Castle of Craig and the Old Kirk of Auchindoir, &c., in Aberdeenshire", Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol.8, 1871. Pages: 327–330.
- Simpson, William Douglas: "Craig Castle and the Kirk of Auchindoir, Aberdeenshire", Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol.64, 1930. Page(s): 59 figs. 6, 9.
