View from the southwest
Wikimedia Commons
St Kenneth’s is a ruined chapelChristian place of prayer and worship, smaller than a church. on the island of Inch Kenneth, at the entrance to Loch na Keal in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, probably dating from the 13th century; the church and island derive their name from St Cainnech of Aghaboe, a contemporary of St Columba. The church probably ceased to be used as a place of worship during the mid-16th century, although it was still used for burials, and remains in use for that purpose today.[1]
The chapel was designated a Scheduled Monument in 1928, a listingStructure of particular architectural and/or historic interest deserving of special protection. that includes its graveyard and associated funerary and monumental sculpture.[2]
History
The earliest surviving written record of St Kenneth’s is from 1380, from which along with another reference from 1549, it is known that it served as a parish church. By the 16th century at the latest, St Kenneth’s came under the control of Iona Nunnery, an Augustinian establishment. Probably as a result of the abolition of the nunnery in 1547, the chapel ceased to be used and was left to decay.[1]
Description
The church measures approximately 12 m (39 ft) by 6 m (20 ft). It features heavy corner buttresses in front and has four pointed windows; two lancet windowsTall, narrow window typically associated with the Gothic architectural style. are on the east wall, and there are two smaller windows on the north and south side of the chancel. A step divides the chancelPart of a church containing the altar, used by the officiating clergy. and the naveCentral part of a church, used by the laiety.. The main entrance to the church lies at the west end of the north wall.[1][2]
The cemetery to the south of the chapel remains in occasional use today. Inside the church there are eight cross slabs, which probably date between the 14th and 16th centuries; there are also graves from the 17th and 18th centuries. The slate high cross in the southwest corner of the enclosed area was placed there in 1926, but was probably made between 1500 and 1560.[1]
