Undiscovered Scotland

 

About half way along the road from Balvicar to the Luing ferry terminus at Cuan on the island of Seil is Kilbrandon and Kilchattan Parish Church.

This was built in 1866 and stands above the main road and to its west. Access is either by a drive that curves around to the north-east corner of the church, or a less obvious grassy path leading up to its south-east corner.

Internally the church is an attractive mix of grey stone, red carpet and a mid-toned wood, which extends to the panel in front of the gallery at the west end.

But what really sets Kilbrandon and Kilchattan Parish Church apart is its superb collection of five stained glass windows. These were the work of Dr Douglas Strachan and were presented to the church in 1938 in memory of the Marchioness of Breadalbane.

Each of the windows illustrates a scene from the Bible, mostly the New Testament, and mostly from around the Sea of Galilee, making them very appropriate for an island parish.

The most striking is the central window in the east wall. This shows Christ quelling the great storm which blew up while he was sleeping in the stern of the boat in which he was crossing the Sea of Galilee with his disciples. The sense of movement and drama is remarkable. Like the other windows, this one was refurbished in 1999.