Abbeys & priories · Scottish Highlands
Fearn Abbey
Fearn Abbey — monastery in Highland, Scotland, UK.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 45 min–1.5 h
- Nearest railway station
- Fearn · 2.4 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Fearn Abbey is an abbey, priory, or monastic site in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1201. Heritage designation: category A listed building. Wikidata describes it as: "monastery in Highland, Scotland, UK". Coordinates: 57.7701°, -3.9561°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Fearn Abbey – known as "The Lamp of the North" – has its origins in one of Scotland's oldest pre-Reformation church buildings. Part of the Church of Scotland and located to the southeast of Tain, Ross-shire, the historic building ceased to be used for church services in 2023, with remaining local church services and meetings to be held in the adjacent modern church hall. In 2024 the parish (previously united with Nigg and linked with Tarbat), was united with the former parishes of Tarbat (Portmahomack) and Tain to form Easter Ross Peninsula Church of Scotland.
From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Fearn Abbey – known as "The Lamp of the North" – has its origins in one of Scotland's oldest pre-Reformation church buildings. Part of the Church of Scotland and located to the southeast of Tain, Ross-shire, the historic building ceased to be used for church services in 2023, with remaining local church services and meetings to be held in the adjacent modern church hall. In 2024 the parish (previously united with Nigg and linked with Tarbat), was united with the former parishes of Tarbat (Portmahomack) and Tain to form Easter Ross Peninsula Church of Scotland.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
The church is extremely simple in design. It is oblong in shape, 96 feet long and 26 feet wide internally. The windows are tall lancets. In the east gable there are four lancets equal in height, and similar openings appear in pairs between all the buttresses around the wall. The eastern end was partitioned off and set aside as the burial vault of the family of Ross of Balnagown. The chapels or aisles attached to the church were erected at later dates against the original walls. The most important addition to the building was the south wing, a chapel dedicated to St Michael, which was probably erected by Abbot Finlay McFead (d. 1485). It is 32 feet long by 23 feet wide and is connected to…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 57.7701, -3.9561
- District
- Highland
- Postcode
- IV20 1TL
- Parliamentary constituency
- Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
- Established
- 1201
- Nearest railway station
- Fearn — 2.4 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q2582427 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Fearn Abbey (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Fearn Abbey 20090615 from south east.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Fearn Abbey?
- Fearn Abbey is in the Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom (postcode IV20 1TL).
- When was Fearn Abbey built?
- Built or established in 1201.
- Is Fearn Abbey a listed building?
- Fearn Abbey is officially recognised as category A listed building listed.
- How do I get to Fearn Abbey?
- The nearest railway station is Fearn, about 2.4 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode IV20 1TL.