A traditional Parish Church built on the site of an old standing stone.
Glenshee Kirk is built on the site of a late Neolithic, early Bronze Age (c 3,000 – c 2,100 BC) standing stone, which can still be seen behind the Church.
It is a good example of a traditional parish church typical of the remoter parts of Scotland, bare and simple with the honest austerity of its time. Services are still held at the church, including a Christmas Day service and its scenic setting makes it a popular wedding venue.
The name Glenshee comes from the Gaelic word shith which signifies fairies and the story of how the Kirk came to be built on this site, told by the Rev. T.A. Miller is his ‘Tales of a Highland Parish’ is full of enchantment:
“The building as it stands today replaced an old and unseemly edifice. It is said that the new Church was originally to have been built at Runavey but the fairies did not approve of this and when the masons started building they came by night and pulled down what had been built up and this was continued night after night until the committee realised the futility of opposing the wishes of the “little folks” and the church was built on the spot of the previous house of worship.”
It is worth noting that the standing stone would have been visible from nearby the Four Poster Stone Circle called Diarmuid’s Tomb, before the Church was built.
