Building record MAB15221 - ST MARY'S CHURCH, MONYMUSK

Church, built as the church of the Augustinian Priory located nearby, but which became the parish church in the mid 16th century.

Church, built as the church of the Augustinian Priory located nearby, but which became the parish church in the mid 16th century. It has been much altered and rebuilt especially in the 19th century. It is built of thin coursed granite rubble with sandstone window and door surrounds. The present church incorporates two principal features of the original building: the lower part of the west tower and the chancel arch. The tower, built of thin coursed granite with sandstone dressings, now stands 15.5m high. Originally 18m, the upper part was removed in the 1820s and a slated spire added, itself removed in the 1890s when a crenellated parapet was added. The tower has very small openings, including a narrow round-arched door at ground level and small slit windows, some blocked. The clockface was added in 2000. The original chancel was considerably longer than the present one, much of the remainder given over to a private burial enclosure in the mid 19th century. The fine chancel arch has moulded columns made up of three attached shafts and cushion capitals. The north column had been damaged when the chancel was originally closed up and this necessitated new stone being inserted when the chancel was restored in the 1920s. The north aisle was added in the early 19th century. The church was restored in 1929 by A Marshall Mackenzie. The work confirmed the early origin of the extended chancel, which had been obscured with ivy. Inside the walls have a number of notable memorial monuments. The church houses a class II Pictish symbol stone, the Monymusk Stone (NJ71NW0012), a 7 foot high granite slab, decorated with an equal arm shafted Celtic Cross, ornamented with knot work, the 'step' symbol and an ornamented disc, which was originally found in a field at Nether Mains. The stained glass includes a window by Alexander Strachan, unusual depiction of the Monymusk Stone (Celi De) and Bennachie, which also appears to have an unusual 3D effect. Two other cross stones found within the grounds lie inside the tower. Two others are still in position but a fifth is not to be seen. Within the churchyard many of the oldest gravestones have been repositioned along the church wall and boundary walls, although an unusual coffin-shaped stone is still in situ in the graveyard. The graveyard contains three First World War Commonwealth war graves.

Period Notes
From late 12th/ early 13thC; mentioned in a land grant of 1078; Pictish symbol stone 8thC; alterations 1685-93; minister's door and other openings in south wall added early 18thC; clock built 1792 with 1865 face; north aisle, new windows, 14 ft of tower removed and spire added 1822; chancel given up for burial enclosure 1851; alterations c.1872; spire demolished and crenellations added 1891; kirkyard enlarged 1900s; restoration of Priory church 1929; further work 1960.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 03/03/22 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

McPHERSON, W, 1895, CHURCH & PRIORY, MONYMUSK (Bibliographic reference). SAB1167.

MACGIBBON, T, 1896, ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND 1, 215-8 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1141.

RITCHIE, J, 1911, SOME OLD CROSSES AND UNLETTERED SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS IN ABERDEENSHIRE. IN PSAS 45(1910-11) 333-353, 347-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1517.

SIMPSON, WD, 1925, THE AUGUSTINIAN PRIORY AND PARISH CHURCH OF MONYMUSK, ABERDEENSHIRE PSAS 59 (1924-5) 34-71, 34-71 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1648.

SIMPSON, WD, 1943, PROVINCE OF MAR, 68,109,152 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1676.

EASSON, D, 1957, MEDIEVAL RELIGIOUS HOUSES: SCOTLAND, 79 (Bibliographic reference). SAB440.

WRI, 1966, HISTORY OF MONYMUSK (Bibliographic reference). SAB2016.

WHITELEY, AWM, 1981, DEESIDE FIELD 17,117-9, 117-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2015.

McWILLIAM, EJ, 1984, DEESIDE FIELD 18, 84-7, No18 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1168.

SHEPHERD, I, 1996, ABERDEEN AND NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND (2ND ED), p. 126-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4829.

Grant, 1997, Monymusk Church Architectural Survey (Bibliographic reference). SAB2598.

survey

Aug 31 1984 , CT 7a-11, CT 7a-11 (Ground Photograph). SAB12429.

Aug 31 1984 , CU 2-22, CU 2-22 (Ground Photograph). SAB12430.

Aug 31 1984 , Untitled Source (Ground Photograph). SAB12431.

Jan 1 1976 , AAS/GR/76/CT148, AAS/GR/76/CT148 (Ground Photograph). SAB32451.

Jul 4 1985 , ER 4, ER 4 (Ground Photograph). SAB12428.

May 8 2002 , AAS/02/04/G8/9-14, AAS/02/04/G8/9-14 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB33988.

May 22 2016 , AAS-GR-16-05-365 - 418, AAS-GR-16-05-365 - 418 (Ground Photograph). SAB35415.

Author unknown, n.d., NSA, 1845,VOL 12,22&59 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1269.

Nov 1 2014 , AAS-GR-14-11-034 - 079, AAS-GR-14-11-034 - 079 (Ground Photograph). SAB35204.

Nov 1 2014 , AAS-GR-14-11-102 - 110, AAS-GR-14-11-102 - 110 (Ground Photograph). SAB35368.

Oct 27 1993 , AAS/93/14/G27/23-30, AAS/93/14/G27/23-30 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB14731.

Record last edited

Mar 28 2025 10:44AM