Main hall, detail of Alberto Morrocco mural on North wall

Description Main hall, detail of Alberto Morrocco mural on North wall

Date 15/4/1997

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number D 11733 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 713697

Scope and Content 'The Way of the Cross' mural on north wall by Alberto Morrocco, St Columba's Parish Church, Church Street, Glenrothes, Fife St Columba's Parish Church, parochial centre and manse, were built in the New Town of Glenrothes in 1960, to designs by the architect Sir Anthony Wheeler (who, along with his partner, Frank Sproson formed the Fife-based architectural firm of Wheeler & Sproson). The building's plan is based on that of the post-Reformation church at nearby Burntisland and features a centrally placed altar, pulpit and font with choir and organ behind. This shows Christ carrying His cross to the place of Crucifixion, Golgotha. He stands upon a red road which highlights Him as the most important figure and his eyes draw the viewer into the image. A grove of fig trees, themselves emblems of a fruitful Christian life, can be seen (right) next to a group of figures lamenting the Crucifixion in the next scene. In 1961 the artist Alberto Morrocco (1917-98) was commissioned to paint this large (15.24m long x 2.43m high) mural, and completed it in 1962. Murals and frescoes have long been used in religious buildings to tell stories and to give people a focus for worship. The expressive gestures and lush colours in this work draw the eye, as they contrast with the simple furnishings of the interior. This building has been selected as one of Scotland's key 20th-century Modern architectural monuments. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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