St Olaf's Church, Unst is a ruined medieval church located on the island of
Unst
Unst (; sco, Unst; nrn, Ønst) is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third-largest island in Shetland after Mainland and Yell. It has an area of .
Unst ...
, in
Shetland
Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom.
The islands lie about to the no ...
,
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 ...
,
UK. The church was built in the Celtic style, and dates to the twelfth century. The burial ground surrounding the church includes several early medieval stone crosses.
Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...
first listed the site as a scheduled monument in 1957.
Description
The ruins of St Olaf's church are located northwest of the hamlet of Lund, on the island of Unst in the Shetland Islands, UK.
The roofless building is a single-chamber rectangular structure, measuring by . The thickness of the walls range from to . Approximately of the eastern section of the building has been rebuilt. The fabric of the building is made of local rubble in lime mortar, and is in poor condition. It has been determined that church was built in the twelfth century and was in use until 1785.
A covered-up rectangular doorway at the west end of the south wall of the church can still be seen. The current entrance, an arched doorway, is located in the west gable.
The church was built in the Celtic style, with its characteristic inclined jambs. The interior of the church contains memorials to the Mouat family and a 1573 stone slab marking the grave of Segebad Detkin. A decorative carving of either a fish or serpent on a
lintel
A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...
over one of the windows was created before the stone's current use in the church. The graveyard surrounding the church has expanded over the years and is still in use. It includes eight small stone crosses dating from the ninth to the twelfth centuries.
Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...
first listed the site as a scheduled monument in 1957.
See also
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Eynhallow Church
Eynhallow Church is a ruined medieval church located on the uninhabited island of Eynhallow in Orkney, Scotland. The church dates back to the 12th-century and is thought to have originally been a monastery. Near the church are the building rema ...
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St Magnus Church, Egilsay
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 ...
*
St Oran's Chapel
References
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12th-century church buildings in Scotland
Church ruins in Scotland
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Shetland