St Magnus Church, Birsay is a 17th-century church located in the parish of Birsay on Mainland, Orkney in Scotland. Built in 1664 on the site of an earlier, 11th century church, St Magnus was later expanded in 1760 and 1867. The graveyard surrounding the church dates to the 18th century. The church is now maintained by the St Magnus Church Birsay Trust.
St Magnus's Church is located in the village of Birsay in the northwest area of Mainland, Orkney in Scotland. It is a rectangular building with a harled exterior, round-headed windows and gabled ends. The western gable contains an original birdcage style belfry. The church has a small southwest porch, possibly dating from the 1867 remodel. [1] [2]
The church has a plain interior, its only adornment an early 20th century, three-panel stained glass window, decorated with images of the Crucifixion and the life of St Magnus. In the north and south walls are remnants of the earlier medieval church. [3] These include a narrow blocked round-arched door, a small, blocked lancet window in the north wall, and another blocked lancet window in the south wall. [1] [2] There is also a late medieval font, made of red sandstone. The font's octagonal bowl is inscribed with a coat of arms. The graveyard surrounding the church contains several gravestones dating to the mid and late 18th century. [1]
The church was built in 1664 on the site of a previous church, built between 1050 and 1064 by Earl Thorfinn of Orkney. It was originally called Christ Church (or Christ's Kirk). The earlier church is the temporary burial location of Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, also known as St. Magnus, who was murdered on the island of Egilsay in 1116. When Earl Magnus was declared a saint around 1136, his bones were exhumed at the church and placed in a shrine on top of an altar. The saint's bones were later moved to the new St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, which was built in honor of the popular saint. [4] [5] [6]
The early medieval church was built in a cruciform plan. What is left of the early church is the blocked round-arched door, and two small blocked lancet windows. [2] In 1760, the church was remodeled and expanded to its current rectangular plan. In 1867, a small porch was added to the building. Around 1900, a three panel stained-glass window was designed by Mrs Loveday McPherson, and executed by Alex Strachan, brother of stained glass artist, Douglas Strachan. [6] The window was installed in the east wall of the church in 1904. [1] [3]
St Magnus has been designated a Grade II* listed building since 1971. [3] The church continued to be used as a parish church until 1996. It was then given by the Church of Scotland to a new established local trust, The St Magnus Church Birsay Trust. The trust is responsible for the preservation and maintenance of historic buildings. [5] [6]
Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, sometimes known as Magnus the Martyr, was Earl of Orkney from 1106 to about 1117.
The Brough of Birsay is an uninhabited tidal island off the north-west coast of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland, in the parish of Birsay. It is located around 13 miles north of Stromness and features the remains of Pictish and Norse settlements as well as a modern light house.
Birsay is a parish in the north west corner of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. Almost all the land in the parish is devoted to agriculture: chiefly grassland used to rear beef cattle. There are various ancient monuments in the parish.
St Machar's Cathedral is a Church of Scotland church in Aberdeen, Scotland, located to the north of the city centre, in the former burgh of Old Aberdeen. Technically, St Machar's is no longer a cathedral but rather a high kirk, as it has not been the seat of a bishop since 1690.
St Magnus Cathedral dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. It is the oldest cathedral in Scotland, and the most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built for the bishops of Orkney when the islands were ruled by the Norse Earls of Orkney. It is owned not by the church, but by the burgh of Kirkwall as a result of an act of King James III of Scotland following Orkney's annexation by the Scottish Crown in 1468. It has its own dungeon.
The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics of Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall.
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Douglas Strachan is considered the most significant Scottish designer of stained glass windows in the 20th century. He is best known for his windows at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, at Edinburgh's Scottish National War Memorial and in cathedrals and churches throughout the United Kingdom. He is also known for his paintings, murals, and illustrations.
St Magnus's Church is a ruined medieval church located on the island of Egilsay, in Orkney, Scotland. The site is recognized as the place of execution of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, in the 12th century. The roofless structure dates back to the 12th century, and has been described by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) as second only to St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, as a surviving Norse church in Scotland.
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St Boniface's Church, Papa Westray is a historic church and graveyard located on the island of Papa Westray in Orkney, Scotland. The site of the church dates back to the Iron Age and was possibly used later as a Christian monastery. The present church was built in the 12th century and was remodeled in 1710. A 12th-century Norse hogback gravestone lies to the east of the church. Two Pictish cross-slabs were uncovered in the graveyard in the 20th century, and were later moved to museums. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1959.
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