Presbytery, Roman Catholic Church Of St Mary, Arisaig, Caol and Mallaig, Highland

Entry Name: Presbytery, Roman Catholic Church Of St Mary, Arisaig

Listing Name: Arisaig Village, Roman Catholic Church of St Mary and Presbytery (Chapel House)

Listing Date: 5 October 1971

Category: C

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 330546

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB327

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200330546

Location: Arisaig and Moidart

County: Highland

Electoral Ward: Caol and Mallaig

Parish: Arisaig And Moidart

Traditional County: Inverness-shire

Tagged with: Clergy house

Description

Church: William Burn, dated 1849, Renovated, 1900. Tall
Gothic church; heavily cement pointed rubble with tooled
ashlar dressings. 4-bay flanks 3-storey square tower
projecting from west gable and slightly lower gabled chancel
at east.
Pointed-headed entrances in base of tower at west, and also
each side. Large pointed-headed window in centre west at 1st
floor of tower, now infilled with Fife stone, leaving glazed
cross as centre light. Pointed-headed louvred windows each
side of upper stage of tower which has clock face at south,
angle buttresses rising full height, and corbelled and
crenellated wallhead.
North and south elevations lit by long, pointed-headed
windows divided by buttresses.
Gabled chancel at east with single small high windows north
and south, and large traceried 3-light window at east with
blind occulus above. Apex cross finial at east end of nave;
steeply pitched slate roofs.
Lean-to vestry in re-entrant angle of chancel and nave links
church with adjoining presbytery.
Interior: lofty interior with timber boarded ceiling,
ribbed and with braces supported by corbels. Stained glass
window (1900) in chancel east wall, and carved reredos
screened.
Modern glazed screen divides west end of church, forming
ambulatory, with semi-circular centre portion as baptistry;
gallery above. Prebytery; later 19th century 2-storey and
attic, irregular 3-bay gabled house. All dark rubble with
tooled ashlar dressings. 3-bay east entrance front, with
advanced SE (left) gable and simple lean-to porch masking
entrance in re-entrant angle. Symmetrical south elevation
with wide, slightly advanced and gabled centre bay with
apex stack and flanking gabletted dormers. Small round-headed
attic windows in some gables; 4-pane glazing; apex and end
stacks; slate roofs.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. Moidart and Arisaig

formerly in Ardnamurchan Parish. The area traditionally

predominately RC. Old church close by far too small in 19th

century, and funds for new finally raised by Father Wm

Mackintosh the parish priest and opened by Bishop Murdoch

in 1849. Renovation of 1900 largely financed by Dowager

Marchioness of Bute, who is depicted in east gable

stained glass window. Presbytery does not appear on 1st

ed OS 1873.

External Links

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