St. Peter's Kirk & Parish Cross, Elgin, United Kingdom

St. Peter's Kirk & Parish Cross is first mentioned in a charter from 1190 The church was probably built by Freskin de Moray, who also constructed the mighty Duffus Castle nearby.

The church was badly damaged in the early 1300s during the Wars of Independence. It is situated in an situated in an idyllic location among mature trees. A rare medieval ‘mercat’ cross survives among the grave stones.

References:

Historic Environment Scotland

Religious sites in United Kingdom

User Reviews

Vicky Dunbar (11 months ago)
Loved this hidden gem! Never seen so many skull and crossbones in one graveyard before! The Parish Cross is an amazing piece of history and the church itself with it's 2 sets of 'viewpoint' stairs is fantastic. The whole site is awesome to see and definitely worth a visit. Someone had obviously been tending to the grounds just before we visited as the grave slabs were all very neatly edged and not a weed in sight. We parked just past the gates in a little wooded area right by the back of the church but probably best to park in town and walk the short distance. Bear in mind, the small country road is the busiest road ever but the traffic is well used to pedestrians! I will most certainly come back here again for another visit

Joseph Kincaid (12 months ago)
There is no place to park specifically but rough ground off the road can be used. The gate is heavy but on wheels to help opening it. There are many interesting gravestones to look at and the inside of the church can be viewed. We were there for 20 minutes looking at graveyard.

Carlos Villalobos (4 years ago)
Old church ruin with gravesites. Nice place to relax, quiet. Usually no one there.

Florian C (6 years ago)

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Photo from Flickr, copyright larrywkoester

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Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

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