Willie’s View: Mysterious St Vigeans
In this week’s Willie’s View, “The People’s Friend” travel writer Willie Shand explores St Vigeans church in Angus.
Read on for a little more about its mysterious history . . .
St Vigeans, close to Arbroath, is well known for its fine collection of Pictish Stones. Also for its ancient church with roots going back more than 1,200 years.
Some believe that a water kelpie helped in the building of the church and, leaving it feeling a bit sore afterwards, he put a curse on it. Not surprisingly, for several years, the locals refused to enter the building lest it collapse on top of them.
The fear was to be reignited in the late 17th century after the minister committed suicide. For 37 years the parishioners refused to take Communion in the kirk for fear of the ground opening up and swallowing them!
300 years on, though, and it’s still standing.
It’s over 1,000 years since the Picts left their marks on the stones at St Vigeans, or at least that’s what the historians would have us believe.
I’m not so sure.
On my walk from St Vigeans round by Letham Grange and Marywell today I found more than a few, not so ancient, mysterious bark-carved symbols hiding in the woods.
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