 The Culdee church in St. Andrews can be seen to the northeast of the ruined cathedral and city wall. It is dedicated to 'St Mary on the Rock' and is cruciform. In the early days, there were several Culdee establishments in Fife, probably small rude structures accommodating 30 or 40 worshippers, and possibly such a structure stood at or near the present church.
The remains of the church are located at Kirkheugh or Kirkhill. This location, where the modern North Street and South Street converge, may have been the original location of the religious site before the construction of a new cathedral building slightly to the west (the remains of which constitute St. Rule's Tower) by Robert, Bishop of St. Andrews. There are burials in the vicinity of Kirkheugh that pre-date the alleged 8th Century foundation of the monastery, and point to a small religious community from the 6th Century. There were also a number of 10th Century cross slabs found in the grounds.
The extant foundations of the church show that it was cross-shaped, and possessed no aisle. The length of the transepts cannot be determined, but the choir was longer than the nave. The nave seems to represent the earliest of the three detectable building phases. The altar lay at the eastern end of the choir. The sedilia on the southern wall is lost, as are the sacristy and the accommodation for the canons and the provost.
Although not founded as a collegiate church until the 1240s, it represented a corporate continuation of the association of clergy known as the Culdees or Céli Dé, "vassals of God". The church lasted for several centuries, but did not long outlast the Scottish Reformation, and today little of the original structure has survived.
About St. Mary of the Culdees
Wikipedia: Church of St Mary on the Rock
Wikipedia: Culdees
Wikipedia: Culdees in Scotland
Undiscovered Scotland: St. Andrews Cathedral
Sacred Destinations: St. Andrew's Cathedral
Journey to St. Mary of the Culdees
The remains of St. Mary of the Culdees are located just outside the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral at the eastern end of the town of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland.
Ordnance Survey Map (NO5132216673)
Visitors Information
Visitors information for St. Mary of the Culdees may be found at the Wikipedia: Church of St Mary on the Rock website. General tourist information may be found at the Fife website.
Additional Photos of St. Mary of the Culdees
Descriptive Sign at the St. Mary of the Culdees Church Site
Remains of St. Mary of the Culdees Church
Remains of St. Mary of the Culdees Church
Remains St. Mary of the Culdees Church with the Precinct Wall and St. Andrews Cathedral in the Background
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