The chapel of St Mary at Crosskirk is one of the oldest surviving ecclesiastical buildings in Caithness. It was probably built in the 1100s, to serve the church at Reay. The building has more in common with Norse churches in Orkney and Norway than it does with other highland buildings. The Norse, who controlled Orkney and Shetland from the 800s AD, also ruled part of the northern mainland of Scotland for a time. However, by the 1100s the people of Caithness were acknowledging the nominal authority of the Scottish Crown.
About 300m to the south of the church there is a spring known as St Mary’s Well. Between the church and the cliff edge was an Iron Age broch, which was excavated between 1966 and 1972 before it finally collapsed into the sea.
Categories
Ecclesiastic
Opening Times
Always open
Location Information
Area: Caithness North
OS Grid Reference: ND 025 701
Accessibility Information
The walk from a nearby farm has some steep downward tracks and muddy paths. The bridge leading to the site is currently unsound.