The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 3/3MacGibbon, David
History
The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 3/3
MacGibbon, David
Church architecture -- Scotland
There is a door in each of the north and south walls near the opposite
ends, which have square lintels with rounded shoulders, as shown in Fig.
1402; and three narrow lancet windows (Figs. 1402 and 1403), two in the
east wall and one
[Illustration: FIG. 1402.--Pert Church.
Doorway and Window.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1403.--Pert Church.
Central Buttress.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1404.--Pert Church.
Belfry.]
in the west wall. These windows are about 12 inches wide, and have the
arches cut out of two stones, with wide splays towards the interior.
Between the two, in the east gable, there is a central buttress with
splayed base (see Fig. 1403).
These features appear to indicate that this was originally rather an
early church, probably of about the close of the first pointed period,
but it appears to have been almost rebuilt, probably in the fifteenth
century.
The belfry on the west gable (Fig. 1404) is even later, and bears the
date of 1676.
ST. VIGEAN’S CHURCH, FORFARSHIRE.[183]
This church is pleasantly situated at the head of a little valley
through which winds the stream of the Brothock, at a distance of between
one and two miles north from Arbroath or Aberbrothock. Previous to the
Reformation it was the parish church of Arbroath. The edifice stands on
the top of a regularly shaped mound, and occupies nearly the whole of
the summit. It has been the site of a religious settlement from a very
remote period, far earlier than the erection of the great abbey at
Arbroath. This is shown by several Norman wrought stones that have been
found on the site, as well as a large and most important group of
elaborately carved sculptured stones, relics of the Celtic church which
once stood here. Vigianus has been recognised as the Latinised form of
the name of St. Fechin of Fohbar, an Irish saint who died in 664. Dr.
Joseph Anderson mentions that the twelfth century builders had utilised
a large quantity of fragments of sculptured monuments as building
materials.[184]
In 1871, under the direction of Dr. R. Rowand Anderson, architect, the
church was restored and considerable additions were made to it. A large
polygonal apse, with massive buttresses, was built at the east end, a
second aisle was formed on the north side of the existing north aisle,
and the tower was raised and finished with a saddle-back roof. At the
same time a new roof and internal fittings were added, making the
edifice one of the most seemly parish churches in Scotland.
Previous to this restoration, the structure consisted (as shown in Fig.
1405) of a central nave of eight bays, with north and south aisles, and
a western tower. The original Norman church appears to have occupied the
site of the north aisle, and to have extended in width to about the
centre
[Illustration: FIG. 1405.--St. Vigean’s Church. View from South-East
(before 1871).]
[Illustration: FIG. 1406.--St. Vigean’s Church, looking West.]
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