St John's Kirk
| St John's Kirk | |
|---|---|
| Old Church | |
 The kirk in 2010, looking northwest | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 56°23′45″N 3°25′41″W / 56.395857°N 3.42811641°W | |
| Location | Perth, Perth and Kinross |
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Website | Official website |
| History | |
| Status | open |
| Dedication | John the Baptist |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | used |
| Heritage designation | Category A listed building |
| Designated | 20 May 1965 |
| Years built | c. 1448 |
| Specifications | |
| Spire height | 154 feet (47 m) |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | John A. H. Murdoch BA BD |
St John's Kirk is a church in the Scottish city of Perth, Perth and Kinross. Of Church of Scotland denomination, it is located in St John's Place, just southeast of the city centre. It stands on the former site of a church dating to 1126. Today's structure, built around 1448, is a Category A listed building.[1] The church is most noted for being the site of John Knox's 1559 sermon against idolatry, which began the Scottish Reformation.
Perth was originally called St Johns Toun (or Saint Johnstoun), after John the Baptist, to whom the church is dedicated.
Earlier structure[]
There has been a church on the site since 1126, when King David I withdrew funds to support Dunfermline Abbey. It was likely not completed until 1242, however, which is when it was dedicated by David de Bernham, the bishop of St Andrews.[2]
The heart of King Alexander III was buried at the location in 1286.[2]
King Edward I heard mass at the church during his 1296 invasion of Scotland, the First War of Scottish Independence.[2] Kings Charles I, Charles II and Prince Charles Edward Stuart are all known to have worshipped there.[2]
Today's church[]
The present church, cruciform in shape, is a result of a 15th-century rebuild. The choir is now the oldest part of the building, dating to 1448.[2] The central tower is understood to have been the model for the two towers of St Machar's Cathedral in Aberdeen. The upper room of the tower was once used as a prison for prostitutes, but it was removed in 1823.[2] The north porch is known as Halkerston's Tower, likely after architect John Halkerston, who worked at the church in the 1460s.[2]
Before the Scottish Reformation, the incorporations of crafts in Perth had altars in the church. The wrights (carpenters) and barbers maintained an altar dedicated to "Our Lady of Pity". A craftsman who broke the rules would pay a fine in wax for the altar lights.[3]
On 11 May, 1559, minister and founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland John Knox preached against idolatry in the kirk, which marked the beginning of the Reformation in Scotland.[2] After the sermon, the congregation stoned the priest, removed ornamentation from the church, and then went to nearby Greyfriars, Blackfriars and Charterhouse monasteries, "stripping them back to their bare walls".[2][4] St John's Kirk was subsequently divided into three separate churches — East, Middle and West — each with its own minister.[2]
Until 1580, the surrounds of the church was the principal cemetery of Perth. While there are several burials still in the vicinity, prominent citizens were buried within the church.[2]
James Gillespie Graham reduced the north transept in 1825 in order to improve traffic flow. He also carried out repairs on the building.[2] Another restoration was done by Sir Robert Lorimer as a memorial to the men of Perthshire who lost their lives in World War I. Knox Chapel was dedicated to those who later fell in World War II. It was at the time of Graham's work that the church's interior partitions were removed, uniting the congregation once more. Lorimer also reinstated the upper floor of Halkerston's Tower.[2]
Queen Elizabeth II visited in 1955 and 1977. She dedicated the Black Watch window on her first visit.[2]
Pre-Reformation features of the church include holy water stoups, piscina, a stone niche and mason's marks. There is also a medieval collection box and a modern tapestry.[2]
Repair and restorations occurred in the 1980s and in the early 21st century. The chandelier of the Virgin Mary, which is believed to have hung in the church in the 15th century, was restored to the building. It had been sold to Perth Museum and Art Gallery in the 19th century.[2]
The spire's weathercock was removed and restored in 2020.[5]
Perth's first dedicated war memorial was unveiled in St John Street, at the rear of the church, in 2021. Prior remembrance services were carried out at the Perth mercat cross, between Perth City Hall and St John's Shopping Centre, which was perceived to be "an insult" to veterans.[6][7]
Stained glass[]
The church's early stained glass is the work of Ballantine and Allan, Stephen Adam and Douglas Strachan.[2]
The stained-glass Blue Window in the northwest corner of the church is the work of American glazier Harvey Salvin, while the Black Watch Window was created by William Wilson.[8]
Gallery[]
The church's tower above the rooftops, looking west from Bridgend
See also[]
- List of Category A listed buildings in Perth and Kinross
- List of listed buildings in Perth, Scotland
References[]
- ^ ST JOHN'S KIRK, KIRKSIDE, ST JOHN'S PLACE, ST JOHN STREET - Historic Environment Scotland
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland, Francis Hindes Groome (1901)
- ^ Michael Pearce, 'A French Furniture Maker and the 'Courtly Style' in Sixteenth-Century Scotland', Regional Furniture, 32 (2018), p. 128. The original 16th-century minute book of the Perth craft of wrights and barbers is held by the National Library of Scotland.
- ^ "Exploring Scotland's happiest – and most underrated – city" – The Telegraph, 21 March, 2021
- ^ "Perth Kirk's ancient weathercock to take temporary flight ahead of restoration work" – The Courier, 7 February, 2020
- ^ "Work almost finished on Perth's first dedicated war memorial in memory of all conflicts" – Dundee Evening Telegraph, 12 October, 2020
- ^ Armed Forces Day: Commemorations take place in Tayside and Fife – The Courier, 27 June, 2021
- ^ "A walk around the Stunning Interior of the Kirk" – St John's Kirk official website
Bibliography[]
- Forthergill, Rhoda, Rita Hartley and Sue Hendry (2010), Walks Around Historic Perth. Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, Perth
- Gifford, John (2007), The Buildings of Scotland: Perth and Kinross. Yale University Press, New Haven and London
- Haynes, Nick (2000), Perth & Kinross: An Illustrated Architectural Guide. The Rutland Press, Edinburgh
External links[]
- Category A listed buildings in Perth and Kinross
- Listed churches in Scotland
- Churches in Perth, Scotland
- 1448 establishments in Scotland
- Listed buildings in Perth, Scotland
- Church of Scotland churches in Scotland
- 16th-century Church of Scotland church buildings