On Wednesday 9th October, members of the Society gathered at the entrance of Govan Old Parish Church for a guided tour to learn about Govan's early history as the centre of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, the advent of early Christianity, and the records of attacks by Viking forces.
The Old Parish Church is dedicated to Saint Constantine and comprises an A-listed Scottish Gothic Revival building, completed in 1888 within a pear-shaped Scheduled Ancient Monument churchyard, housing early medieval monuments from the 9th-11th centuries. Christian worship on the site dates from the 5th-6th centuries with links to other Brittonic communities, and more recently with the Iona community. Raids by the Vikings occurred in 870AD, evidence for which exists in historic records and in some of the sculptures.
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| Govan Old Parish's guide describes the features of the hogback gravestones and explains their history. (© I.S.Ruddock) |
The building is not typical of the Church of Scotland and has been described as Scottish-Roman in an attempt to better affiliate the two churches. Interestingly, the Russian Orthodox Church still uses the church for worship. A striking feature is the number of richly decorated stained glass windows commissioned from different workshops.
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| The engraved details on the Govan Sarcophagus are pointed out by the guide. (© I.S.Ruddock) |
The collection of 31 sculptured monuments - The Govan Stones - is displayed throughout the church and includes the Govan Sarcophagus, crosses with figurative and interlace decoration, and the Anglo-Scandinavian 'hogback' gravestones. There is also an exhibition of reproduction armour, clothing, jewellery and an early board game. Time passed quickly due to the engaging and enthusiastic manner in which the guide from the Govan Heritage Trust proved details of the internationally recognised importance of the church, the stones and their historical context.
David Graham
