Recording Your Heritage Online
Event ID 566492
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Recording Your Heritage Online
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/566492
St. Michael's of the Sea (RC), 1899-1903 Sturdy landmark with a prow-like apse and gothic windows, perched above the harbour on Cnoc nan Sgrath. Replacing a humble structure of 1852, it was constructed by the islanders themselves under the guidance of the first incumbent, Fr. Allan Macdonald. They used local stone, timber salvaged from wrecks and a cement mortar of burnt shells and sand; funds for additional materials were raised locally from the proceeds of fishing, and from abroad. Beyond a tripartite gothic screen, the altar rests on the bow of a lifeboat washed overboard from the aircraft carrier Hermes. A bell from the German Baltic cruiser Derfflinger is mounted closeby. Presbytery, 1891, much altered.
Taken from "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Mary Miers, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk
