St Magnus Church, Birsay is a 17th century church located in the parish of

Birsay Birsay () (Old Norse: ''Birgisherað'') 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 ...

Mainland, Orkney The Mainland, also known as Hrossey and Pomona, is the main island of Orkney, Scotland. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, lie on the island, which is also the heart of Orkney's ferry and air connections. Seventy-five per cent 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 ...

. 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.

Description

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 Harling is a roughcast, rough-cast wall finish consisting of lime and aggregate, known for its rough texture. Many castles and other buildings in Scotland and Ulster have walls finished with harling. It is also used on contemporary buildings, w ...

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. The church has a plain interior, its only adornment an early 20th century, three-panel stained glass window, decorated with images of the

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

and the life of St Magnus. In the north and south walls are remnants of the earlier medieval church. 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. 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.

History

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 Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, sometimes known as Magnus the Martyr, was Earl of Orkney from 1106 to about 1115. Magnus's grandparents, Earl Thorfinn and his wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, had two sons, Erlend and Paul, who were twin ...

, also known as St. Magnus, who was murdered on the island of

Egilsay Egilsay (, sco, Egilsay) is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, lying east of Rousay. The island is largely farmland and is known for its corncrakes and St Magnus Church, dedicated or re-dedicated to Saint Magnus, who was killed on the is ...

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 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 most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built ...

Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...

, which was built in honor of the popular saint. 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. 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 Douglas Strachan (26 May 1875, Aberdeen, Scotland – 20 November 1950) 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, Netherl ...

. The window was installed in the east wall of the church in 1904. St Magnus has been designated a Grade II*

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 ...

since 1971. The church continued to be used as a parish church until 1996. It was then given by the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

to a new established local trust, The St Magnus Church Birsay Trust. The trust is responsible for the preservation and maintenance of historic building.

Gallery

St_magnus_church_birsay.jpg St_magnus_church_birsay_from_west.jpg St_Magnus_Church_Birsay_20110523_lancet_window.jpg St_Magnus_Church,_Birsay_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2364423.jpg St_Magnus_Church_Birsay_20110523_east_window.jpg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birsay, Saint Magnus Historic Scotland properties in Orkney Churches in Orkney Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Orkney

Description

History

Gallery

See also

References