St Mary's Monastery is an ecumenical Christian spirituality and retreat centre in Kinnoull, Perth, Scotland. It was built in 1868 by the

Redemptorists The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

. Until 1971, it also served as a novitiate for the Redemptorists. In 1870, the church and shrine, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, was built within the grounds. It is located on Hatton Road, to the east of Kinnoull, on the edge of Kinnoull Hill, overlooking the city of Perth. The building has been registered as a category B

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 ...

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 ...

,St Mary's Monastery, Kinnoull, Perth
from ''British Listed Buildings'', retrieved 5 April 2021 and was the first

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

established 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 ...

History

Foundation

On 21 May 1866, the land for the monastery was bought from William Hay, 4th Earl of Kinnoull. On 16 June 1868, the foundation stone was laid. It was blessed by the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh John Strain. The building was designed by a local architect Andrew Heiton. He designed many buildings in Perth and abroad, such as

Vogrie House Vogrie House forms the centrepiece of Vogrie Country Park in Midlothian. It was built for James Dewar and his family in 1876 by Andrew Heiton, the town architect for Perth, Scotland, Perth. Dewar was the creator of Dewar's whisky. The curren ...

, the Perth Municipal Buildings, and Abbey Presbyterian Church, Dublin. His students included James Macintyre Henry and John Murray Robertson, and he worked with his nephew,

Andrew Granger Heiton Andrew Granger Heiton (born Andrew Heiton Granger; – 11 June 1927) was a Scottish architect.Municipal Buildings, Perth
from

, retrieved 5 April 2021

Construction

The purchase of the land and the construction was funded by the family of a Redemptorist priest, Edward Douglas. On 19 May 1869, construction was finished and the community moved in. The church, dedicated to

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour) is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a 15th-century Byzantine icon with an alleged Marian apparition. The icon is believed to have o ...

, continued to be built and was opened on 22 March 1870. On 29 November 1913 it was consecrated by the

Bishop of Dunkeld The Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Cormac. However, the first ...

Robert Fraser.St Mary's Monastery, Kinnoull
from Scotland Churches' Trust, retrieved 5 April 2021 The monastery hosted retreats, was a centre from which Redemptorist priests went to nearby Catholic parishes and was a novitiate, a place of training for Redemptorist novices.History
from ''KinnoullMonastery.co.uk'', retrieved 5 April 2021

Developments

In 1896, extension work to the monastery and church took place. A new oratory and clock tower were added. They were designed by Andrew Granger Heiton, the nephew of the original architect. In the church is a mortuary chapel, a crypt and a Father Willis Organ. After the 1970s, it was no longer used as a novitiate. In 1978, it began hosting retreats for women. In 1981, it was designated a mission and renewal centre, making retreats its primary focus. In the 2000s, a renovation of the entire building was done and it was reopened in 2017.Pat Ashworth
A Time for God
from ''

Church Times The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays. History The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the ...

'', 27 January 2017, retrieved 5 April 2021

References

External links