St. Moluag's Church, Outer Hebrides, United Kingdom

St Moluag's church (Teampall Mholuaidh in Scottish Gaelic) was built in the 13th century. The church has a basic T shaped structure, with two small chapels on either side of the main body of the church. The southern chapel can only be accessed from outside. There is a lot of speculation about the ancient origins of this place of worship; one tradition tells that St. Ronan founded the church, before retiring to the Isle of Rona (in legend travelling on the back of a whale).

The church is now in use as a Scottish Episcopal Church. There are ruins of another temple 'Teampall Ronaidh' about 500m north east of Teampall Mholuaidh and remains of another temple 'Teampall Pheadair' are about 2km south west of Teampall Mholuaidh beside the old graveyard near the village of Swainbost.

The church is dedicated to the shadowy figure of St Moluag. It has been suggested that the church was built by the son of a Scandinavian king, who had converted to Christianity.

References:

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Religious sites in United Kingdom

User Reviews

Art Mac (4 months ago)
Working kirk so respectful walk around gives you a lovely experience. Small but mighty.

Tim Fletcher (2 years ago)
A very evocative and atmospheric 12th century church sitting in lonely isolation in the fields, just before the road runs out at the Butt of Lewis. I visited on a weekday afternoon in late October and had the place to myself.

Colin Jones (3 years ago)
Beautiful example, well maintained, worth a visit if you're in the area

Ingela Ivarsson (3 years ago)
Incredible beautiful, so interesting to listen to the guide tell you about the history of the church and what it has meant to the people of the island.

Claire Hill (3 years ago)
Visited this small church at the end of a lovely coastal walk. It was good to see a part of this small community village's life.

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