St Mary's, Fochabers is a Roman Catholic church in the village of Fochabers, Moray, in Scotland and is a part of the RC Diocese of Aberdeen. The building is significant for the high quality of its altar and stained glass windows. It is an active parish church served from Buckie with regular weekly Sunday Mass at 10.00 am.[1]
| St Mary's, Fochabers | |
|---|---|
| St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Fochabers | |
 | |
 | |
| 57°36′46″N 3°05′43″W / 57.6127°N 3.0952°W | |
| Location | Fochabers, Moray |
| Country | Scotland |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Official website |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Bishop James Kyle and J Gillespie Graham |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1825 |
| Completed | 1826 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Aberdeen |
| Deanery | St. Peter's |
| Clergy | |
| Priest(s) | Fr Tadeusz Turski |
Fochabers, and the broader Bog o' Gight area, had been a hotbed of Catholic recusancy as the Gordon family of Gordon Castle had clung to the Catholic faith from 1560 to 1728. Prior to this building there had been a chapel in the old village of Fochabers, which had been spared burning by the Duke of Cumberland's troops after the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.[2] , and later the area was served by the mission at St Ninian's Church, Tynet.[2]
The church was completed in 1826, the architect being James Gillespie Graham,[3] with the foundation stone being laid by Father George Mathieson, who was born in Fochabers himself, in 1825.[4] Fr Mathieson said of the new building that it will be 'an ornament to the town, and I hope draw respect to Religion'.[2] In 1885 a reredos by Peter Paul Pugin was installed.[5] Later, in memory of the Clapperton family, two stained glass windows designed by the acclaimed Franz Mayer & Co. were fitted, one with a paschal theme and one with a Marian theme.[4]
Images of the Interior
edit-
Chancel featuring the Pugin altar -
Pugin altar -
Franz Mayer & Co. window. -
Franz Mayer & Co. window.
References
edit- ^ "Calendar". RC Parishes of Buckie, Fochabers, Tynet & Preshome. July 2018. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Christine (1983) Developments in the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland 1789–1829, John Donald Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh
- ^ "St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Fochabers". Places of Worship in Scotland. Scottish Church Heritage Research Ltd. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
- ^ a b "St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Fochabers". Scalan Association. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- ^ "Peter Paul Pugin". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
External links
edit- Historic Environment Scotland. "Fochabers, 22 South Street, St Mary's Roman Catholic Chapel (16891)". Canmore.
- "History of St Mary's". St Peter's Pastoral Area. 16 April 2013.
 | This article about a church or other Christian place of worship in Scotland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about a Roman Catholic Church building in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |