St. Gregory's Church is a Roman Catholic church at Preshome near Buckie in north-east Scotland. It is protected as a category A

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. Built in 1788, St. Gregory's was the first church building to be openly built by Catholics in Scotland since the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

of 1560. Catholic worship had previously been confined to private homes and clandestine churches.Kaplan, Benjamin J., ''Religious Conflict and the Practice of Toleration in Early Modern Europe,'' Harvard University Press, 2007, Chapter 8, pp. 198. ff. St Ninian's, a Catholic church at nearby Tynet, was erected in 1755 but was built to resemble a cottage. The design of the church was intended to make a statement of the pride that Catholics took in their faith. Therefore, the church has an elegant

Italian Baroque Italian Baroque (or ''Barocco'') is a stylistic period in Italian history and art that spanned from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. History The early 17th century marked a time of change for those of the Roman Catholic religion ...

facade that proclaims its Catholicism by being stylistically unique in Scotland. The pedimented gable sports classical urn finials and the Latin date "DEO 1788." The design of the church has been credited to Father John Reid, with later additions by Peter Paul Pugin. Inside, the

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

incorporates a painting of

St Gregory Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...

by Caracci, a gift from the

Earl of Findlater Earl of Seafield is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1701 for James Ogilvy, who in 1711 succeeded his father as 4th Earl of Findlater. The earldoms of Findlater and Seafield continued to be united until 1811, when the earldom ...

References

Roman Catholic churches in Scotland 1788 establishments in Scotland Roman Catholic churches completed in 1788 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Churches in Moray Category A listed buildings in Moray Listed churches in Scotland Baroque architecture in Scotland Baroque church buildings in the United Kingdom {{UK-RC-church-stub