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Fig. 1404.—Pert Church.
Belfry.
in the west wall. These windows are about 12 inches wide, and have the arches cut out of two stones, with wide splays towards the interior. Between the two, in the east gable, there is a central buttress with splayed base (see Fig. 1403).
These features appear to indicate that this was originally rather an early church, probably of about the close of the first pointed period, but it appears to have been almost rebuilt, probably in the fifteenth century.
The belfry on the west gable (Fig. 1404) is even later, and bears the date of 1676.
ST. VIGEAN'S CHURCH, Forfarshire.[1]
This church is pleasantly situated at the head of a little valley through
which winds the stream of the Brothock, at a distance of between one
and two miles north from Arbroath or Aberbrothock. Previous to the
Reformation it was the parish church of Arbroath. The edifice stands on
the top of a regularly shaped mound, and occupies nearly the whole of
the summit. It has been the site of a religious settlement from a very
remote period, far earlier than the erection of the great abbey at Arbroath.
This is shown by several Norman wrought stones that have been found
on the site, as well as a large and most important group of elaborately
carved sculptured stones, relics of the Celtic church which once stood here.
Vigianus has been recognised as the Latinised form of the name of St.
Fechin of Fohbar, an Irish saint who died in 664. Dr. Joseph Anderson
mentions that the twelfth century builders had utilised a large quantity
of fragments of sculptured monuments as building materials.[2]
In 1871, under the direction of Dr. R. Rowand Anderson, architect, the church was restored and considerable additions were made to it. A large polygonal apse, with massive buttresses, was built at the east end, a second aisle was formed on the north side of the existing north aisle, and the tower was raised and finished with a saddle-back roof. At the same time a new roof and internal fittings were added, making the edifice one of the most seemly parish churches in Scotland.
Previous to this restoration, the structure consisted (as shown in Fig. 1405) of a central nave of eight bays, with north and south aisles, and a western tower. The original Norman church appears to have occupied the site of the north aisle, and to have extended in width to about the centre
- ↑ For a fuller notice of this church and its sculptured stones, see Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Session 1870-72, Vol. IX., by the Rev. Dr. Duke, to whom we are indebted for assistance; as also to Mr. Robertson for some notes and a sketch.
- ↑ Scotland in Early Christian Times, p. 49.
