Kirkton Chapel and Gravestones, Craignish

After a drive down the beautiful penninsula, past boats, small islands in the sea loch, and birds of all kinds, just past Ardfern lies a church that has many names. Kirkton Chapel and Graveyard, Craignish Parish Church, Kilmory Chapel or St Maelrubha's Chapel.

Sitting proud on a little hill above Loch Craignish, this church was built in the 1200s, when it was dedicated to St Maelrubha of Applecross, and was in use until the late 1600s.

The gable end at the east of the church is an original that has survived all this time, and on either side of it lie four stone tomb chests dating to the 1500s. If you look closely you can still see some engraving on the stone slabs.

At the other end of the church, under a small roof section, is a collection of sculptured stones. Beautifully, and sometimes elaborately carved grave slabs, mostly from the 1400s and 1500s, with the one nearest the door being much older in date than the rest.

There are lots of lovely details within the church, and we spent quite a long time looking around.

Outside the church is a small graveyard contained by stone walls. And while the church itself was of great interest, I think we we spent even longer looking at the beautifully built drystone.

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Arichonan Clearance Village

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Kilneuair Church and Oratory