185:
169:. in 1969. The church was listed in 1971 as a category A building. In 1997, the scheduled monument was updated to include the symbol stone located within the burial enclosure and the archaeological remains lying under the church. The church closed for regular worship following a final, thanksgiving service on Sunday 19th November 2023. By agreement with Elgin Kirk Session, since January 2024 it has been used by the Roman Catholic Church's
397:
199:
52:
140:, stands against the west wall in the enclosure. It is made of granite, is 1.07 m (3 ft 6 in) in height, 0.6 m (2 ft 0 in)0.6m thick and narrows toward the top. A Celtic decoration of a sea-lion, a Z-rod and a rectangular device is incised into the north side of the stone. The cemetery also contains a
112:, Scotland. Birnie is one of the oldest churches in continual use in Moray. It is thought that the Norman building was built to replace an earlier, 6th century, Celtic kirk. The presence of the Pictish symbol stone, see below, suggests Birnie had been a pre-Christian holy site from very much earlier. It is constructed of aislar (
160:
Before the construction of Birnie, the site was known to have been the original seat of the
Bishops of Moray. Simon de Tosnay, the fourth bishop, was buried in the church in 1184. Birnie was a commune kirk of the Cathedral of Elgin. There are no remnants of the earlier church, but the oval churchyard
93:
BBC News reported on 22nd
November 2023 that, "The 12th Century building is due to close by 2027, as the Church of Scotland undergoes what has been described as 'radical reform' amid falling congregations. The building will continue to be maintained by the Kirk Session pending its release, a Church
128:
The kirk was the seat of the
Bishops of Moray from 1107 to 1184. Until 1322 when the seat moved to Elgin, it served as a cathedral, the seat being rotated between Birnie, Kinneddar, and Spynie. Simon de Tonei, the fourth bishop, was interred there in 1184 but the grave is no longer identifiable.
120:
by a rounded Norman chancel arch. The nave was shortened in 1734 when the wall was rebuilt, and the kirk was later restored in 1891. In the chancel is what is believed to be a Celtic bell, said to have been made in Rome and blessed by the then pope. There is also a 17th century bible, covered in
132:
The kirk is surrounded by an oval burial enclosure, which suggests an earlier medieval site. The wall on the north side of the enclosure was removed in the past in order to extend the cemetery. The
388:
82:
and is one of the oldest in
Scotland to have been in continuous use. The graveyard, symbol stone and archaeological remains under the church have been designated a
379:
543:
548:
553:
578:
372:
583:
327:
588:
152:. The memorial, designed to look like the gable end of a chapel, contains two inlaid plaques which lie below a Romanesque arch.
568:
365:
558:
538:
486:
21:
116:), a finely cut freestone. The building is rectangular with a square, short chancel, which is separated from the
95:
166:
87:
238:
504:
563:
408:
122:
492:
450:
294:
498:
170:
137:
104:
Birnie Parish Kirk is a rare 12th century Norman parish church located 4 km south of
8:
480:
319:
266:
212:
204:
133:
121:
calf's fur - locally known as the Hairy Bible. In the corner of the nave stands a plain,
456:
432:
162:
83:
510:
462:
438:
426:
420:
357:
573:
348:
161:
suggests the shape of am early
Christian enclosure. The graveyard was designated a
79:
516:
444:
190:
532:
36:
23:
149:
141:
105:
63:
145:
468:
125:
style font. The church contains lancet windows in the north and south.
474:
75:
396:
392:
71:
217:
198:
113:
55:
Birnie Kirk, the first
Cathedral Church of Moray, built c. 1140
51:
109:
67:
117:
387:
180:
289:
287:
271:
Canmore:National Record of the
Historic Environment
530:
349:https://www.ordinariate.org.uk/groups/birnie.php
284:
373:
144:honouring local parishioners who died during
62:is a 12th century parish church located near
173:for weekly Evening Prayer and monthly Mass.
94:of Scotland spokesman said in a statement."
380:
366:
544:12th-century church buildings in Scotland
261:
259:
243:Birnie and Pluscarden Church of Scotland
50:
549:Church of Scotland churches in Scotland
531:
256:
361:
554:Category A listed buildings in Moray
236:
579:Romanesque architecture in Scotland
13:
330:from the original on 19 March 2015
14:
600:
584:1140s establishments in Scotland
395:
197:
183:
589:Medieval cathedrals in Scotland
342:
312:
230:
99:
1:
569:Former cathedrals in Scotland
299:Historic Environment Scotland
239:"CLOSURE OF CHURCH BUILDINGS"
223:
167:Historic Environment Scotland
88:Historic Environment Scotland
7:
559:Listed churches in Scotland
495:— disputed (Aberdeen)
176:
10:
605:
539:Churches completed in 1140
155:
404:
16:Church in Moray, Scotland
351:Retrieved 1 April 2024
267:"Birnie Parish Church"
56:
320:"Birnie War Memorial"
54:
295:"Birnie Parish Kirk"
171:Personal ordinariate
138:Pictish symbol stone
37:57.61139°N 3.33000°W
213:Kilbirnie Auld Kirk
205:Christianity portal
134:Birnie Symbol Stone
74:. It was the first
33: /
326:. 25 August 2004.
237:Farquhar, Davina.
163:scheduled monument
84:scheduled monument
57:
42:57.61139; -3.33000
564:Churches in Moray
526:
525:
389:Former cathedrals
596:
399:
382:
375:
368:
359:
358:
352:
346:
340:
339:
337:
335:
316:
310:
309:
307:
305:
291:
282:
281:
279:
277:
263:
254:
253:
251:
249:
234:
207:
202:
201:
193:
188:
187:
186:
48:
47:
45:
44:
43:
38:
34:
31:
30:
29:
26:
604:
603:
599:
598:
597:
595:
594:
593:
529:
528:
527:
522:
400:
386:
356:
355:
347:
343:
333:
331:
318:
317:
313:
303:
301:
293:
292:
285:
275:
273:
265:
264:
257:
247:
245:
235:
231:
226:
203:
196:
191:Scotland portal
189:
184:
182:
179:
158:
102:
80:Bishop of Moray
41:
39:
35:
32:
27:
24:
22:
20:
19:
17:
12:
11:
5:
602:
592:
591:
586:
581:
576:
571:
566:
561:
556:
551:
546:
541:
524:
523:
521:
520:
514:
508:
502:
496:
490:
484:
478:
472:
466:
460:
454:
448:
442:
436:
430:
424:
418:
412:
405:
402:
401:
385:
384:
377:
370:
362:
354:
353:
341:
311:
283:
255:
228:
227:
225:
222:
221:
220:
215:
209:
208:
194:
178:
175:
157:
154:
101:
98:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
601:
590:
587:
585:
582:
580:
577:
575:
572:
570:
567:
565:
562:
560:
557:
555:
552:
550:
547:
545:
542:
540:
537:
536:
534:
518:
515:
512:
509:
506:
503:
500:
497:
494:
491:
488:
485:
482:
479:
476:
473:
470:
467:
464:
461:
458:
455:
452:
449:
446:
443:
440:
437:
434:
431:
428:
425:
422:
419:
416:
413:
410:
407:
406:
403:
398:
394:
390:
383:
378:
376:
371:
369:
364:
363:
360:
350:
345:
329:
325:
324:Moray Council
321:
315:
300:
296:
290:
288:
272:
268:
262:
260:
244:
240:
233:
229:
219:
216:
214:
211:
210:
206:
200:
195:
192:
181:
174:
172:
168:
164:
153:
151:
147:
143:
139:
135:
130:
126:
124:
119:
115:
111:
107:
97:
96:
91:
89:
85:
81:
77:
73:
69:
65:
61:
53:
49:
46:
501:(St Andrews)
414:
344:
334:21 September
332:. Retrieved
323:
314:
302:. Retrieved
298:
274:. Retrieved
270:
246:. Retrieved
242:
232:
159:
150:World War II
142:war memorial
136:, a Class I
131:
127:
103:
92:
59:
58:
18:
453:(Edinburgh)
429:(Caithness)
146:World War I
100:Description
60:Birnie Kirk
40: /
533:Categories
519:(Galloway)
499:St Andrews
435:(Dunblane)
411:(Aberdeen)
304:25 October
276:24 October
224:References
123:Romanesque
25:57°36′41″N
475:Kinneddar
465:(Glasgow)
451:Edinburgh
441:(Dunkeld)
423:(Brechin)
248:7 January
76:cathedral
28:3°19′48″W
517:Whithorn
511:Skeabost
493:Mortlach
489:(Argyll)
483:(Orkney)
481:Kirkwall
457:Fortrose
433:Dunblane
409:Aberdeen
393:Scotland
328:Archived
177:See also
72:Scotland
574:Culdees
513:(Isles)
507:(Moray)
487:Lismore
477:(Moray)
471:(Isles)
463:Glasgow
447:(Moray)
439:Dunkeld
427:Dornoch
421:Brechin
417:(Moray)
218:Culdees
156:History
78:of the
505:Spynie
459:(Ross)
415:Birnie
114:ashlar
445:Elgin
110:Moray
108:, in
106:Elgin
68:Moray
66:, in
64:Elgin
469:Iona
336:2021
306:2022
278:2022
250:2024
148:and
118:nave
391:in
165:by
86:by
535::
322:.
297:.
286:^
269:.
258:^
241:.
90:.
70:,
381:e
374:t
367:v
338:.
308:.
280:.
252:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
