St Brendan's Chapel, also known as Kilbrannan Chapel, is a ruined medieval church located near Skipness,

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...

, Scotland. Dedicated to

St. Brendan Brendan of Clonfert (c. AD 484 – c. 577) is one of the early Irish monastic saints and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is also referred to as Brendan the Navigator, Brendan the Voyager, Brendan the Anchorite, and Brendan the Bold ...

, the chapel was probably built around the same time as nearby

Skipness Castle Skipness Castle stands on the east side of the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland, near the village of Skipness. Together with the nearby Kilbrannan Chapel it is a scheduled monument. History The main structure of the castle was built in the early 1 ...

, in the late 13th or early 14th century. It is an excellent example of a medieval chapel, and also important for its association with Skipness Castle and its collection of late medieval carved tombstones. Together with the castle, the chapel is designated a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

Description

Skipness castle and Kilbrannan Chapel are located near the village of Skipness,

, Scotland. The castle is situated on a slight slope, overlooking the

Kilbrannan Sound Kilbrannan Sound (Scottish Gaelic: ''An Caolas Branndanach'') is a marine water body in the west of Scotland. It separates the Kintyre Peninsula from the island of Arran. Kilbrannan Sound is the western arm of the lower Firth of Clyde. S ...

and the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; ) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Counties of Scotland, Historically part of Buteshire, it is in the ...

. Kilbrannan Chapel lies 330m southeast of the castle, near the shore. Kilbrannan chapel is also notable because it is significantly bigger than other medieval chapels in Kintyre. The roofless chapel consists of a well-preserved, rectangular, single-chambered structure, measuring 25m x 8m. Walls vary in thickness from 1.14m to 1.37m. The outer walls were constructed with coursed rubble masonry, while the doors, windows, quoins and skews were built with dressed red sandstone. The church was lit by splayed

lancet windows A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a sharp pointed arch at its top. This arch may or may not be a steep lancet arch (in which the compass centres for drawing the arch fall outside the opening). It acquired the "lancet" name from its rese ...

in the

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 ...

and

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

. A large Y-traceried window is sited at the East end. There are two entrance doors in the South wall (one now blocked) and one in door in the North wall. The chapel and adjacent graveyard contain five notable late medieval recumbent tombstones, along with several pre-Reformation slabs and many 18th and early 19th century gravestones The graveyard is still in use today.

History

The name 'Kilbrannan' and the discovery of early medieval burials at the site suggest that an earlier church existed where Kilbrannan chapel now stands. Dedicated to St Brendan, the chapel was built to replace the earlier chapel of

St Columba Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey ...

, whose remains lie near Skipness Castle. Construction on the new chapel probably occurred around the same time the castle was being built, in the late 13th or early 14th century. St Brendan's continued to function as the parish church after the castle was abandoned, until at least 1692. The chapel discontinued being used as a place of worship during the 18th century, possibly with the establishment of a new parish church at

Claonaig Claonaig (, ) is a hamlet on the east coast of the Kintyre peninsula in western Scotland, linked to Lochranza on the Isle of Arran by the CalMac ferry in the summer months. Claonaig is a hamlet south of Skipness, and is the location of the ...

. The cemetery is still in used in the community as a burial ground. The chapel and

are together designated a

References

{{reflist 13th-century establishments in Scotland 14th-century establishments in Scotland Churches in Argyll and Bute Church ruins in Scotland Ruins in Argyll and Bute Scheduled monuments in Argyll and Bute