The Kirk of St Nicholas is a historic church in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, Scotland. It is the original parish church of the city, and is also known locally as the Mither Kirk or mother church. Following the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, it was divided between two congregations, the East Kirk and the West Kirk. These merged in the 1980s to form the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting. In 2020, the congregation merged with that of Queen's Cross Church and the Kirk of St Nicholas ceased to be used for regular worship. The West Kirk is now owned by Scot-ART. The Oil and Gas chapel contains wooden furniture made by the late Tim Stead alongside a stained glass window that depicts life in Aberdeen, created by Scottish artist, Shona MacInnes. Kirk St Nicholas - Stained Glass Window

History

The earliest mention of a church on the site of the present Kirk can be found in a Papal document of 1151. Given Aberdeen's proximity to the sea,

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

was chosen as the patron saint of New Aberdeen, as patron saint of commerce. The Kirk was enlarged in the 15th century. St Nicholas and St Mary's,

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, were probably the largest parish churches in medieval

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. This work was dedicated by Bishop Elphinstone in 1498. The 500th anniversary of the dedication of the enlarged church was marked with the installation of a special stained-glass window at the main entrance to the Kirk, overlooking Drum's Aisle. The church contains the Drum Aisle (the ancient burial-place of the Irvines of

Drum Castle Drum Castle is a castle near Drumoak in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. For centuries it was the seat of the chief of Clan Irvine. The place-name Drum is derived from Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic ''druim'', 'ridge'. The site is located approximately northea ...

) and the Collison Aisle, which divide the two congregations and which formed the

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s of the 12th-century church of St Nicholas (architectural detail survives from this period). The West Church was built between 1751 and 1755, to plans given to the burgh by

James Gibbs James Gibbs (23 December 1682 – 5 August 1754) was a Scottish architect. Born in Aberdeen, he trained as an architect in Rome, and practised mainly in England. He is an important figure whose work spanned the transition between English Ba ...

, in the

Italian style Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, on the site of the medieval

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, the East in 1834 in

Gothic-revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

style on the site of the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

. In 1874 a fire destroyed the East Church and the old central tower with its lead-clad timber spire and its fine peal of nine bells, one of which, Laurence or "Lowrie", was 4 ft (1.2 m) in diameter at the mouth, 3.5 ft (1.1 m) high and very thick. The church was rebuilt and a massive granite tower erected over the intervening aisles, a new

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

of 36 bells, cast in Belgium, being installed to commemorate the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

jubilee A jubilee is often used to refer to the celebration of a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term comes from the Hebrew Bible (see, "Old Testament"), initially concerning ...

of 1887. Because the tuning of these bells by van Aerschot was not so good, the bells were replaced in 1950 with 48 bells made by

Gillett & Johnston Gillett & Johnston was a clockmaker and bell foundry based in Croydon, England from 1844 until 1957. Between 1844 and 1950, over 14,000 tower clocks were made at the works. The company's most successful and prominent period of activity as a be ...

, it is now one of the largest carillons in the British Isles. The building includes two sanctuaries under one roof (though only one is now used). Following considerable decay, the old nave collapsed in approximately 1742. A rebuilt church – known as the West Kirk – was built in 1755. It is the only

. building in Scotland. This is still used for regular worship. The other section – the East Kirk – though it was still complete and retained a wooden medieval roof similar to that which survives at King's College Chapel,

Old Aberdeen Old Aberdeen is part 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 retains the sta ...

, was rebuilt in 1837, by

Archibald Simpson Archibald Simpson (4 May 1790 – 23 March 1847) was a Scottish architect, who along with his rival John Smith, is regarded as having fashioned the character of Aberdeen as "The Granite City".Simpson, William Douglas, (1947) ''The Archibald ...

, and had to be again rebuilt following a fire in 1874. Extensive renovation and archaeological work is currently taking place in the East Kirk. The foundations of earlier phases of the Kirk, many medieval burials, and large numbers of architectural fragments are among the rich finds from this important site. The Oil Chapel was dedicated in 1990 to mark 25 years of

North Sea oil North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid petroleum and natural gas, produced from petroleum reservoirs beneath the North Sea. In the petroleum industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian ...

. The chapel hosts a book of remembrance to all those who have died offshore in British waters. Despite the many alterations to the fabric of the Kirk over the year's, St Nicholas retains a larger number of medieval effigies than any other Scottish parish church, though none of these are in their original positions. The Vault or Chapel of Our Lady of Pity survives under the east end of the Kirk. It has been refaced externally, but retains its medieval vaults within. A number of pieces of late medieval and 17th century woodwork are preserved in this vault. Tim Stead wooden furnishings

The former Kirk of St Nicholas Parish is now incorporated into the Parish of St Mark's, also under the ministry of Interim Minister, The Revd Ian Murray. The west Kirk is now owned by Scottish charity, Scot-ART who took over in 2024.

Churchyard

The graveyard surrounds the church on three sides: north, south and west. It is extremely crowded on the west and south sides. It has a high proportion of table stones. It does not follow the standard Scottish pattern of stones generally facing east. Close to the church on its south side a number of ground slabs now form part of paving, and are also used for car parking, a feature generally unseen in Scotland. Monuments date from the mid 17th century. The boundary onto Union Street was rebuilt as a very formal Georgian colonnade in the 19th century.

Notable Ministers

Fasti Ecclesiastae Scoticana vol.6 *Adam Heriot (1514-1574) from 1560 to 1573 * John Craig (c.1512-1600) from 1573 to 1579, three times Moderator of the General Assembly * Peter Blackburn from 1582 to 1596, later made Bishop of Aberdeen * David Cunningham from 1596 to 1600, also Bishop of Aberdeen *Archibald Blackburn from 1601 to 1625, son of Peter Blackburn * James Sibbald from 1625 to 1641 * Andrew Cant from 1641 to 1660 *Patrick Sibbald from 1666 to 1686, son of James Sibbald *Andrew Burnett from 1686 to 1695 *James Osborne from 1695 to 1697 *Colin Campbell from 1702 to 1728, father of George Campbell, Principal of

Marischal College Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has been the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. The building was constructed for and is on long-term lease fr ...

* James Sherriffs from 1779 to 1814, Moderator of the General Assembly in 1807 *

Alexander Dyce Davidson Alexander Dyce Davidson (8 May 1807 – 27 April 1872) was born in Aberdeen in 1807, and spent his life there. He was a key player in the transformation of religious opinion in Aberdeen from ‘moderatism’ to ‘evangelicalism,’ which led t ...

1836 to 1843, left to join the Free Church of Scotland * James Robert Mitford Mitchell 1878 to 1895, Moderator of the General Assembly in 1907 * Robert Howie Fisher from 1896 to 1900

Notable burials

* Alexander Anderson (Lord Provost of Aberdeen) *

Sir John Anderson John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, (8 July 1882 – 4 January 1958), was a Scottish Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant and politician who is best known for his service in the War Cabinet during the Second World War, for which he ...

* John Henry Anderson Wizard of the North * Rev Dr Thomas Blackwell, principal of

*Sir Thomas Blaikie *Rev Prof

William Laurence Brown William Laurence Brown (7 January 175511 May 1830) was a Scottish minister. Life Brown was born in Utrecht (city), Utrecht in the Netherlands. His father, William Brown, was minister of the English church there, but was then appointed profes ...

(inside kirk) * John Burnett of Elrick * Rev George Campbell * Rev Andrew Cant * William Cruden, twice provost of Aberdeen * John Cruickshank (mathematician) * William Cruickshank, twice Provost * George Davidson of Pettens * Robert Davidson, Provost of Aberdeen *

Robert Dyce Professor Robert Dyce FRSE (1798–1869) was a Scottish surgeon and Professor of Midwifery at Aberdeen University. Life He was born in Aberdeen on 30 November 1798 the son of Dr William Dyce of Fonthill and Cuttlehill FRSE (1770–1835) and his ...

William Dyce William Dyce (; 19 September 1806 in Aberdeen14 February 1864) was a Scottish painter, who played a part in the formation of public art education in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom, and the South Kensington Schoo ...

memorialised on his parents' grave * Alexander Dingwall Fordyce *

John Gibb (engineer) John Gibb (1776–1850) was a Scottish civil engineer and contractor whose work included the construction of harbours, bridges, roads, lighthouses, and railways in the United Kingdom, primarily in Scotland. He was a close associate of Thomas Te ...

* George Russell Gowans RSW artist *Rev Dr William Guild * Gavin Hadden, four times Lord Provost * Prof Robert Hamilton *

James Jopp James Jopp (1722–1794) was a Scottish merchant who served as Provost of Aberdeen for five non-consecutive periods. His meeting with Dr Johnson was recorded in James Boswell's diary. Life He was born in Insch north-west of Aberdeen, on 15 A ...

five times

Provost of Aberdeen The Lord Provost of Aberdeen is the convener of the Aberdeen City Council 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 many ways ...

* James Melvin Latin scholar * Andrew Moir (anatomist) *James Mowat of Logie (d.1662) *Cpt

William Penny Captain William Penny (1809–1892) was a Scottish shipmaster, whaler and Arctic explorer. He undertook the first maritime search for the ships of Sir John Franklin. In 1840, Penny established the first whaling station in the Cumberland Sound a ...

Arctic explorer *William Rickart *

* George Skene, Provost of Aberdeen * John Smith (architect) *Gavin Turreff, author * Alexander Walker (d.1711) Provost 1697/8 *

John Webster John Webster (c. 1578 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and ''The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and car ...

Lord Provost 1856 to 1859 and MP for Aberdeen

Other memorials

* Plaque to Rev Alexander Hetherwick * Plaque to Very Rev Mitford Mitchell minister from 1878 to 1895 and

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the Chair (official), chairperson of a General Assembly (presbyterian church), General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Calvinism, Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbytery (church pol ...

References

External links

Official website
* {{Coord, 57.1476, -2.0992, display=title Church of Scotland churches in Aberdeen Collegiate churches in Scotland Category A listed buildings in Aberdeen Listed churches in Scotland James Gibbs buildings