Ardchattan, Old Kirk

NM93NE 1 97102 35342

(NM 9710 3534) St Baodan's Ch (NR)

(rems of)

For (successor and present) Ardchattan Parish Church (NM 94491 35955 ), see NM93NW 47.

For Ardchattan, Old Parish Church (NM 9763 3474), see NM93SE 23.

The remains of this church stand within a burial ground about 400 metres NW of Ardchattan Priory (NM93SE 1). The building is ruinous and overgrown, but the east gable wall remains almost intact, whilst the north and west walls stand to a height of about 3 metres above the present floor level.

The church, of single chamber plan, measures 17.2 metres W-E, by 6.4 metres within walls about 1 metre thick. The building seems to have been served by a single entrance doorway near the centre of the south wall, but this is now blocked up by a dry-stone wall.

The burial ground was evidently enclosed by a dry-stone wall of which some remains can be seen on the south side of the church. None of the visible tombstones is of a date earlier than about the end of the 18th century.

It is difficult to ascribe a precise date to the church and little is known of its history. The dedication was either to St Modan or to St Baedan, and it is probably of 15th or early 16th century date. The date on which it was abandoned for worship is not recorded. It may still have been in use about 1630 when it was specifically designated as the parish church of Ardchattan, but it was reported ruinous in 1678. When the church was abandoned, parish services were held in Ardchattan Priory until a new parish church was erected in 1731-2. This, in turn, was superseded by a later church, erected in 1836, at NM 9449 3594.

RCAHMS 1975.

As described. The cemetery was last used in 1885.

Visited by OS (RD) 30 April 1970.

Surveyed at 1:10,000.

See also:

NM93NW 47 Ardchattan Parish Church

NM93SE 23 Ardchattan Old Parish Church