The Snow Kirk in

Old Aberdeen Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It ret ...

was a small but important church in Scottish history. It is now ruinous but its site remains as a small graveyard within the bounds of

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

History

This tiny church was named after Santa Maria Maggiore de Nives (St Mary of the Snows) in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and was under the control of a local

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

friary. Modern folklore attributes the name to various snow-events in Aberdeen. It is thought to have been founded (or at least named) by

Bishop Elphinstone William Elphinstone (143125 October 1514) was a Scottish statesman, Bishop of Aberdeen and founder of the University of Aberdeen. Biography He was born in Glasgow. His father, also William Elphinstone, later became the first Dean of the Fac ...

which would place it in the mid 15th century. The church was funded by

King James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...

. From 1495 it served a second role as chapel to

King's College, Aberdeen King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (''Collegium Regium Abredonense''), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the Universi ...

and its Rector had a primary role as University Grammarian. Originally a parish church, it was merged in 1499 with

St Machar's Cathedral St Machar's Cathedral usually called Old Machar (Scottish Gaelic: Cathair-eaglais Naomh Machar), (or, more formally, the Cathedral Church of St Machar) is a Church of Scotland church in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is located to the north of the c ...

and lost its parochial status. At the point of the Reformation in Scotland of 1560–1561, it still stood but had minimal function, only holding around 30 persons at most. It was "re-closed" around 1580 due to continuing unauthorised use, but when illustrated in 1688 it was still substantial (though ruinous). From around 1700 it was demolished down to a wall soon after the Reformation but remained in use for burials. In the 18th century, it was misleadingly titled the Papist Burial Ground, which confuses the idea that all burials pre-Reformation were "papist" and that some continuing Catholic burials took place thereafter. Whilst Catholic sympathies survived in the Scottish aristocracy, Catholicism was illegal until the start of the 19th century. Evidence of Catholic affiliation is limited to two bishops (this grave is very prominent) but the majority of burials are clearly Protestant.Scottish Notes and Queries April 1906 The use as a burial ground was terminated in 1934 by the

Medical Officer of Health A medical officer of health, also known as a medical health officer, chief health officer, chief public health officer or district medical officer, is the title commonly used for the senior government official of a health department, usually at a m ...

but may still be used for interment of ashes. Only the burial zone within the former church walls survive but the burials originally extended beyond the walls, especially to the south side.

Notable interments

* Bishop John Geddes * Bishop James Grant * Morley Hutchinson (memorial only) *Gilbert Menzies,

Lord Provost of Aberdeen The Lord Provost of Aberdeen is the convener of the Aberdeen City local authority in Scotland. They are elected by the city council and serve not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. They are equivalent in m ...

*Prof

William Witte William Witte FRSE (1907–1992) was a 20th-century scholar of the German language and German literature, working in Britain. In 1959 he postulated that Schiller's "Ode to Joy" was specifically rewritten in 1803 following influence on Schille ...

(memorial only)

References

{{morecat, date=October 2023 Churches in Aberdeen