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Publication Account
Date 1996
Event ID 1016464
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1016464
Dedicated to St Brendan and sitting on a prominent kirkyard mound, Birnie is one of the oldest places of worship in Moray. For a time before 1224, Birnie was one of the seats of the Bishops of Moray. Rectangular in plan, it has a short chancel, lit only by single lancets to north and south, but with no window to the east. The chancel is separated from the nave by a serene Romanesque arch with well preserved cushion capitals. The simple, rough font and the doorways to north and south are original; the nave was shortened (from the west) and the south windows enlarged in 1734. The restoration of 1891 was by A Marshall Mackenzie. The chancel lancets contain vivid modern glass.
In the kirkyard, beside the gate to the manse, is an early Pictish stone, incised with a simple eagle and a 'notched rectangle' and Z-rod.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Aberdeen and North-East Scotland’, (1996).