Jump to content

Dunblane Cathedral

Coordinates:56°11′21.91″N3°57′54.9″W/ 56.1894194°N 3.965250°W/56.1894194; -3.965250
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dunblane Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St Blaan and St Laurence
Dunblane Cathedral in 2017
Dunblane Cathedral is located in Stirling
Dunblane Cathedral
Dunblane Cathedral
56°11′21.91″N3°57′54.9″W/ 56.1894194°N 3.965250°W/56.1894194; -3.965250
CountryUnited Kingdom
DenominationChurch of Scotland
Previous denominationRoman Catholic
Websitewww.dunblanecathedral.org.uk
History
StatusParish church
Foundedc.7th century (site)
Founder(s)Saint Blane
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Robert Rowand Anderson(restoration)
StyleGothic(mostly)
Years built11th to 15th century
1889 (restoration)
Specifications
Number oftowers1
Tower heightSix storeys[1]
Administration
PresbyteryStirling
Clergy
Minister(s)The Rev. Colin C. Renwick[2]
Laity
Director of musicKevin Duggan[2]
Listed Building– Category A
Official nameCathedral Square, Dunblane Cathedral (Cathedral Church of St Blaan and St Laurence including churchyard, boundary wall and Riccarton's Stile)
Designated5 October 1971
Reference no.LB26361
Official nameDunblane Cathedral
Designated30 November 1981
Reference no.SM90109

Dunblane Cathedralis the larger of the twoChurch of Scotlandparish churchesservingDunblane,near the city ofStirling,in centralScotland.

The lower half of the tower is pre-Romanesquefrom the 11th century, and was originally free-standing, with an upper part added in the 15th century. Most of the rest of the building isGothic,from the 13th century. The building was restored byRobert Rowand Andersonfrom 1889 to 1893.[3]

History

[edit]

The church is dedicated to the 6th century saint,St Blane,and this gives its name to the settlement: dunblane meaning hill of St Blane. The church also had an altar toSt Laurence.The oldest surviving part of the church is the lower four storeys of the tower which date from around 1100AD. The upper two storeys of the tower date from around 1500.[4]

The cathedral was once the seat of thebishops of Dunblane(also sometimes called 'ofStrathearn'), until the abolition ofbishopsafter theGlorious Revolutionin 1689. There are remains of the vaults of theepiscopal palaceto the south of the cathedral. Technically, it is no longer acathedral,as there are no bishops in the Church of Scotland, which is aPresbyteriandenomination. After the abolition of prelacy, thechoirbecame the parish church but the nave fell out of use, and its roof had fallen in by about 1600.

It contains the graves ofMargaret DrummondofStobhall,a mistress of KingJames IV of Scotlandand her two sisters, all said to have been poisoned.

Unusually, the building is owned bythe Crown,and is looked after byHistoric Scotlandrather than the church governance; there is no entrance charge.

The building is largely 13th century in date, though it incorporates an originally freestanding bell-tower (like the example atMuthill) of 11th century date on its south side. This tower was increased in height in the 15th century, a change clearly visible in the colour of the stonework, and in the late Gothic style of the upper storey's windows.

The choir dates from the 13th century and has a long vaulted chamber which served aschapter houseandsacristyon its north side. The choir contains the mural tomb of the cathedral's founder,Bishop Clement.Many of the 15th century choir stalls, which have carvedmisericords(including one with an unusual depiction of a bat) are preserved within the choir. Further, more elaborate, canopied stalls are preserved at the west end of the nave. Dunblane has the largest surviving collection of medieval Scottish ecclesiastical woodwork afterKing's College Chapel, Aberdeen.Some detached fragments are displayed in the town's museum.

The cathedral was restored in the late 19th century under the control of Rev Alexander Ritchie DD, who commissioned architectRobert Rowand Andersonto oversee the works, with these works completed by SirRobert Lorimerin 1912.[5]

Stained glass

[edit]

Burials

[edit]

Preserved within the arcaded nave are two early Christian stones, a cross-slab and a possible architectural frieze, survivals from an early medieval church on the same site, founded by or dedicated to the 'Blane' whose name is commemorated in the name of the town.

Dunblane Cathedral churchyard contains twowar graves,including that of William Stirling, agunnerin theRoyal Marine ArtilleryduringWorld War I.[6]

Monuments of interest

[edit]

Dunblane Commemoration

[edit]

In the nave of the cathedral is astanding stoneby the monumental sculptorRichard Kindersleywhich commemorates the events of 13 March 1996 – theDunblane Massacre.The quotations on the stone are byE. V. Rieu( "He called a little child to him..." ),Richard Henry Stoddard( "...the spirit of a little child" ),Bayard Taylor( "But still I dream that somewhere there must be The spirit of a child that waits for me" ) andW. H. Auden( "We are linked as children in a circle dancing" ).

Other churches in Dunblane

[edit]

Dunblane Cathedral is one of at least seven churches in the town. The others areSt Blane's(anotherChurch of Scotlandcongregation, named after the town's founder),St Mary's(aScottish Episcopal Churchcongregation), theRoman CatholicChurch dedicated to theHoly Family,theQuakerMeeting House, the (independent Evangelical) Dunblane Christian Fellowship, and theEastern Orthodoxparish dedicated toSaint Nicholas;unusually, this Orthodox community isOld Calendaristand thus comes directly under the authority of theEcumenical Patriarchaterather than the nearest Orthodox bishop.[7]

[edit]
  • The nave looking east.
    Thenavelooking east.
  • Etching of Dunblane Cathedral by James Fittler in Scotia Depicta
    Etching of Dunblane Cathedral byJames Fittlerin Scotia Depicta
  • The Dunblane Commemoration standing stone
    The Dunblane Commemoration standing stone
  • A mid-19th-century lithograph of the cathedral
    A mid-19th-centurylithographof the cathedral

Notable people and events

[edit]
Ministers and clergy
Burials
Weddings
  • In April 2015, tennis player and Dunblane nativeAndy Murrayreturned to his hometown to marry his long-term partner Kim Sears in a private service at the cathedral.[8]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"The Tower".Dunblanecathedral.org.uk.
  2. ^ab"Important Church Contacts".Dunblanecathedral.org.uk.
  3. ^"Dunblane Cathedral – Overview".Edinburgh: Historic Scotland.Retrieved16 May2012.
  4. ^Guide to Dunblane Cathedral by Very Rev Dr J Hutchison Cockburn
  5. ^Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Robert Lorimer
  6. ^"Gunner STIRLING, WILLIAM".Cwgc.org.Retrieved27 December2018.
  7. ^"Orthodox Community, Dunblane".Orthodoxchurchdunblane.org.uk.Retrieved27 December2018.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^"Andy Murray marries girlfriend Kim Sears in Dunblane".BBC.11 April 2015.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related toDunblane Cathedral.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dunblane_Cathedral&oldid=1231577153"