ST NICHOLAS CHURCH, ORPHIR

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Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC319 Designations: Scheduled Monument (SM13379) Taken into State care: 1952 (Ownership) Last reviewed: 2004 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ST

1 Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC319 Designations: Scheduled Monument (SM13379) Taken into State care: 1952 (Ownership) Last reviewed: 2004 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ST NICHOLAS CHURCH, ORPHIR We continually revise our Statements of Significance, so they may vary in length, format and level of detail. While every effort is made to keep them up to date, they should not be considered a definitive or final assessment of our properties. Historic Environment Scotland Scottish Charity No. SC Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH

2 Historic Environment Scotland Scottish Charity No. SC Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH

3 ST NICHOLAS CHURCH, ORPHIR BRIEF DESCRIPTION St Nicholas Church, Orphir comprises the surviving remains of a Norse, 12 th - century round church. This is the only church of this plan to survive above ground in Scotland, and it is thought to have been based on the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, built on the instruction of the local earl after his visit to Jerusalem. The church survives as the barrel-vaulted semi-circular apse and a part of the circular nave. The layout of the rest of the church is visible on the ground. The church sits within the modern graveyard of Orphir, on the south coast of Mainland Orkney, close to the sea and overlooking the sheltered waters of Scapa Flow. Visitors park in a small car park adjacent to the Orkney Islands Council Saga Centre. They walk towards Earl s Bu (a separate guardianship monument), past the excavated remains of the earliest recognised Norse mill in Scotland (outwith the guardianship area), and through the Bu to the modern graveyard where the historic church is sited. A formal circular walk taking in part of the coast can be joined here. CHARACTER OF THE MONUMENT Historical Overview The Orkneyinga saga refers to a fine church standing in front of the door of the earl s great drinking hall, just a few paces down from it. There are good historical and architectural grounds for suggesting that this church was built on the direction of Earl Hakon Paulsson (d. 1122) in the early decades of the 12 th century. While he may have been inspired by what he saw on a pilgrimage he took to the Holy Land (around 1120), he might also have been influenced by the circular churches of not dissimilar scale scattered throughout Europe, including south Scandinavia The church is still described as complete used as a lime store for the parish church which has been built immediately to the south about two thirds of round church robbed for repairs. The subsequent parish church was built in 1829 on its western extremity and 1861 Recording by architect Henry Dryden and antiquarians George Petrie respectively. Petrie and others located walls around the surviving ruins A W Johnston cleared debris from the interior of the church Purchased by Ministry of Works, along with parish church which was demolished to enhance presentation of round church. Likely findspot of a runic inscription, now in Orkney Museums, which appears to be a contemporary commentary on the church, whether as a building or an 1/4

4 establishment, and is thus of historic and social interest: not is the church good, mild as Archaeological Overview Nothing reliable is known of the archaeology of the church site. Geophysical survey (published in SAIR 2003) failed to detect any subsurface remains that might be attributed to the round church. An imminent report by Colleen Batey summarises what little is known about the excavations that took place in Orphir as a whole between 1859 and The church is a small part of a far larger lordly estate centre. This includes the adjacent farm at Earl s Bu. Surviving archaeological potential is known to be high (from excavations undertaken by Durham University at the end of the 20 th century). Parallels might be drawn between the lordly centres at Wyre (Cobbie Row s castle and St Mary s church), Birsay (including Brough of Birsay) and Cross-kirk (Westside)/Tuquoy settlement, for example. Artistic/Architectural Overview Represents the remains of one of the only medieval churches of circular plan known to have existed in Scotland (see also Roxburgh). Although of modest scale, being intended for the private worship of a lord and his family, etc rather than the wider parish, its construction was a considerable achievement for 12 th - century Orcadian masons. Belongs to a period after the first crusade in 1099 when there was a resurgence in interest across Western Europe in building circular church-plans inspired by the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Potential architectural parallels and sources of direct and indirect inspiration are therefore very widespread. The direct source may lie in southern Scandinavian architecture which may in turn have been influenced by Bohemian architecture (note for example the double-splayed window in the apse). This and other Norse ecclesiastical architecture in Orkney raises the question of to what extent Orcadian architecture may have influenced that in Scandinavia, because influence need not only have been one-way. We are reliant on earlier documentary sources for what the completed church may have looked like: the nave was apparently vaulted with a central opening in the roof, for example. Social Overview No formal assessment of social significance exists. Modern Orcadian society attached a high significance to the fact that it was part of Norway for around 600 years (this includes having been part of the diocese of Trondheim), and this site is one of the tangible reminders of this. This value is reflected in the fact that Orkney Islands Council has placed its Saga Centre adjacent to this site. 2/4

5 Historic Scotland has joined, albeit on a passive basis, a proposed Culture 2000 Project, Holy Sepulchre Rotundas a European Itinerary. This Italian-led initiative has objectives that include making information available about, linking and promoting churches across Europe whose design is based on the Holy Sepulchre. Spiritual Overview Constructed for the private worship of Orkney earls and their immediate family and followers whose Christian beliefs and support for the organised church in Orkney can be seen in their active and resource-intensive programmes of church building, and the fact they went on pilgrimage (although this in repentance for earlier, un-christian deeds!) Not formally assessed for modern populations, but the surrounding graveyard is active and the former presence of the parish church may be within the living memory of some. Aesthetic Overview The near coastal location of this important settlement can be appreciated, particularly if the visitor walks to the church/takes the Council s footpath to the shore. What are the major gaps in understanding of the property? Archaeological work could considerably advance our understanding of this site, but options for exploration might be limited by the fact that it lies within an active graveyard. ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Key points This is one of only two known medieval churches with a circular plan to have been constructed in Scotland. Its design is a witness to the widespread contacts of the Orkney earldom, demonstrating how fashions here were influenced by, if not influencing, wider European trends. The church is only one of a number of round churches that are to be found throughout Europe which are linked in design by their relationship to the Holy Sepulchre in Orkney. The church is a key component in the lordly estate at Orphir, that also includes an important farm with a drinking hall, and a mill. The singular design of this church would have emphasised the importance of this particular estate and its owners. This fine church and its associated settlement is mentioned in Orkneyinga saga, which allows us to relate its use to known events and people. The site retains very high future archaeological potential. The historical significance of this site, and the value of Norse heritage for modern Orcadian society, is reflected in the fact that the Council s Saga Centre has been constructed adjacent to it. The historical, archaeological, architectural 3/4

6 and social significance of this site is enhanced by the potential to link its future understanding, interpretation and presentation to other sites mentioned in the sagas. One of several Norse sites in northern Scotland, a significant proportion of which are in HS care in Orkney, Caithness and Shetland. An important component of the surviving evidence for the Norse character of northern Scotland which was part of the Orkney earldom from the late 9 th century to The Norse heritage is particularly valued by present-day Orcadians and, indeed, Norwegians. Associated Properties Earl s Bu, Orphir. Elsewhere PIC in Orkney: St Magnus, Egilsay; Eynhallow, St Mary s, Wyre, and Brough of Birsay, mainland Orkney; Westside, Tuquoy, Westray; Caithness: Castle of Old Wick; St Mary's Crosskirk. See also St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall (slightly later in date) and Bishop s Palace, Kirkwall. Maes Howe runic inscriptions slightly later than construction of church. Orkney Islands Council has a network of so-called Saga Sites, including a Visitor Centre by Orphir. Old scheme includes OIC having panels at or near some of our sites. They have plans to better develop and promote this network and are involved in a European-funded project, Destination Viking Sagalands. This is led by a government agency in Iceland and focuses on how sagas (and storytelling) can contribute to rural regeneration in the participating areas (South Greenland, various parts of Iceland, Faroes, Orkneys and the Lofoten and Troms areas of Northern Norway, in addition to a project in Northern Sweden). Relationship to HS sites yet to be discussed. In broad terms, links to other HS Norse sites, e.g. Jarlshof, Mousa (later reuse). Keywords Norse, medieval, church, round church, Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, lordly estate, farm, mill, Orkneyinga saga, Orkney Earldom, Orkney, southern Scandinavia, crusades. 4/4

ST BRIDGET S KIRK HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE. Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC036

ST BRIDGET S KIRK HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE. Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC036 Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC036 Designations: Scheduled Monument (SM90266) Taken into State care: 1950 (Guardianship) Last reviewed: 2011 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ST BRIDGET