Publication Account
Date 1985
Event ID 1018839
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1018839
The ruins of this chapel stand next to the parish church of Rathesay; the chapel known as St Mary's or Lady Kirk may be as early as the 13th century in date, though later dates have also been proposed. It is now of interest primarily for the two well-preserved recessed canopy-tombs at the middle of each of the side-walls, and an effigy in the West Highland tradition. The effigy is that of a warrior with the arms of the Menteiths and it is likely that it is of mid-14th century date, indeed this may be one of the earliest surviving carved armorials in Scotland. The church is presumably on the site of an earlier foundation, for in 1816 the fragments of an unusual Early Christian cross slab, now in Bute Museum, were uncovered during clearing operations.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Argyll and the Western Isles’, (1985).
