Our Lady of the Isles (
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
: ''Moire ro Naomh nan Eilean'' or ''Bana Thighearna nan Eilean'') is a sculpture of the
Madonna and Child
In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in ...
, on
South Uist
South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...
in the
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
The statue is situated on the western slopes of
Ruabhal, a hill near the northern end of South Uist. It is to the east of the
A865 road, and a paved path runs from the road to the statue.
The statue was commissioned following proposals from the
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
for a large missile testing range. This would have covered much of Uist, and involved construction of a military town as well as facilities for building missiles. This caused concern it would destroy much of the island's way of life, culture and language. Resistance to the proposals was led by Canon John Morrison, the local parish priest. He commissioned and raised funds for the construction of the statue. The statue was completed in 1957, and dedicated in 1958.
The statue was designed by
Hew Lorimer
Hew Martin Lorimer, OBE (22 May 1907 – 1 September 1993) was a Scottish sculptor.
Early life
He was born in Edinburgh, the second son of architect Sir Robert Lorimer. He was educated at Loretto School in Musselburgh, then at Magdalen Colle ...
, and sculpted from
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
. In 2007 the statue was listed as a Category B listed building.
References
Our Lady of the Isles - RC Diocese of Argyll & the IslesOur Lady of the Isles - RCAHMS
{{coord, 57.342731, N, 7.360725, W, display=title
South Uist
Outdoor sculptures in Scotland
Buildings and structures in the Outer Hebrides
Statues of the Madonna and Child
Category B listed buildings in the Outer Hebrides
1957 sculptures
Granite sculptures in the United Kingdom
Colossal statues in the United Kingdom