St Brendan's Chapel

The name 'Kilbrannan' and the discovery of early medieval burials at the site suggest that an earlier church existed where Kilbrannan chapel now stands. Dedicated to St Brendan, the chapel was built to replace the earlier chapel of St Columba, whose remains lie near Skipness Castle. Construction on the new chapel probably occurred around the same time the castle was being built, in the late 13th or early 14th century. St Brendan's continued to function as the parish church after the castle was abandoned, until at least 1692. The chapel discontinued being used as a place of worship during the 18th century, possibly with the establishment of a new parish church at Claonaig. The cemetery is…

Skipness castle and Kilbrannan Chapel are located near the village of Skipness, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The castle is situated on a slight slope, overlooking the Kilbrannan Sound and the Isle of Arran. Kilbrannan Chapel lies 330m southeast of the castle, near the shore. Kilbrannan chapel is also notable because it is significantly bigger than other medieval chapels in Kintyre. The roofless chapel consists of a well-preserved, rectangular, single-chambered structure, measuring 25m x 8m. Walls vary in thickness from 1.14m to 1.37m. The outer walls were constructed with coursed rubble masonry, while the doors, windows, quoins and skews were built with dressed red sandstone. The church was…