Birnie Kirk, Elgin, United Kingdom

Birnie Kirk was built c. 1140 and became the first cathedral of the Bishop of Moray. It remained the cathedral church until 1184 when Bishop Simon de Tosny died. His successor Richard de Lincoln moved the seat to the church of Kinnedar. The church is one of the oldest in Scotland to have been in continuous use.

The nave was shortened by a few feet in 1734 but the remainder is the original 12th-century structure. The building is constructed of finely cut ashlar blocks. It is simply designed with a nave and a smaller chancel. The nave and chancel are partitioned by a striking Romanesque arch. A baptismal font, contemporary with the building, sits in the corner of the nave.

In the grounds stands a Class I Pictish symbol stone, attesting to the area's long history. The circular nature of the grave yard suggests that the church overlies an earlier, Dark Age site.

There is a legend that in November 1704 Sir Robert Gordon, known as the 'Wizard of Gordonstoun', was pursued by the Devil as he rode towards Birnie Kirk. In the chase, Sir Robert was thrown over the churchyard wall, breaking his neck. Since he died on consecrated ground, the Devil could not claim his soul.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in United Kingdom

User Reviews

Ailie MacLeod (2 years ago)
Love to visit but mostly to see my parents in the graveyard.

Gisella Rindi (2 years ago)
A secret gem in the outskirt of Elgin. Find your peace in this historic church and leave a prayer of thanks for those who keep it so well preserved

Stanley Jones (3 years ago)
A small kirk simple in style set in open rolling countryside. There is a new large window dedicated to the late Rev. Torrie who married us 45 years ago. Some very old headstones including the family stone of the Grants the famous whiskey family. Not close to Elgin but well worth getting Sat Nav out. Not far away is Millbuies a lovely walk around 2 lochs set in woodland. Well worth a detour. Take the kids and dogs along with a picnic for a great few hours in the fresh air.

craig barnett (3 years ago)
Lovely wee church, really peaceful

Scott K Marshall (5 years ago)
A traditional and historical Kirk c1140 just south of Elgin with stunning stained glass windows - the first Cathedral of the Bishop of Moray. It also has a Pictish Stone on the Grounds.

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The Church of St Eustace was built between 1532-1632. St Eustace"s is considered a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. The church’s reputation was strong enough of the time for it to be chosen as the location for a young Louis XIV to receive communion. Mozart also chose the sanctuary as the location for his mother’s funeral. Among those baptised here as children were Richelieu, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, future Madame de Pompadour and Molière, who was also married here in the 17th century. The last rites for Anne of Austria, Turenne and Mirabeau were pronounced within its walls. Marie de Gournay is buried there.

The origins of Saint Eustache date back to 13th century. The church became a parish church in 1223, thanks to a man named Jean Alais who achieved this by taxing the baskets of fish sold nearby, as granted by King Philip Augustus. To thank such divine generosity, Alais constructed a chapel dedicated to Sainte-Agnès, a Roman martyr. The construction of the current church began in 1532, the work not being finally completed until 1637. The name of the church refers to Saint Eustace, a Roman general of the second century AD who was burned, along with his family, for converting to Christianity, and it is believed that it was the transfer of a relic of Saint Eustache from the Abbey to Saint-Denis to the Church of Saint Eustache which resulted in its naming. Jeanne Baptiste d"Albert de Luynes was baptised here.

According to tourist literature on-site, during the French Revolution the church, like most churches in Paris, was desecrated, looted, and used for a time as a barn. The church was restored after the Revolution had run its course and remains in use today. Several impressive paintings by Rubens remain in the church today. Each summer, organ concerts commemorate the premieres of Berlioz’s Te Deum and Liszt’s Christus here in 1886.

The church is an example of a Gothic structure clothed in Renaissance detail. The church is relatively short in length at 105m, but its interior is 33.45m high to the vaulting. At the main façade, the left tower has been completed in Renaissance style, while the right tower remains a stump. The front and rear aspects provide a remarkable contrast between the comparatively sober classical front and the exuberant rear, which integrates Gothic forms and organization with Classical details. The L"écoute sculpture by Henri de Miller appears outside the church, to the south. A Keith Haring sculpture stands in a chapel of the church.

The Chapel of the Virgin was built in 1640 and restored from 1801 to 1804. It was inaugurated by Pius VII on the 22nd of December, 1804 when he came to Paris for the coronation of Napoleon. The apse chapel, with a ribbed cul-de-four vault, has at its centre a sculpture of the Virgin and Child of Jean-Baptiste Pigalle that the painter Thomas Couture highlighted by three large paintings.

With 8,000 pipes, the organ is reputed to be the largest pipe organ in France, surpassing the organs of Saint Sulpice and Notre Dame de Paris. The organ originally constructed by P.-A. Ducroquet was powerful enough for the premiere of Hector Berlioz" titanic Te Deum to be performed at St-Eustache in 1855.

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