One of Scotland’s oldest sites of worship is to close and be put on the market – but not before supporters celebrate its 800th anniversary.
The Diocese of Brechin was founded around 1150 and the cathedral has a rich history, with Robert the Bruce funding construction of its distinctive round tower.
But Brechin Cathedral, which is owned and operated by the Church of Scotland, ran up debts of £170,000 and the congregation had declined steeply in recent years.
Now the Angus landmark will face “dissolution” in the years it was due to celebrate the milestone.
Angus Presbytery recently agreed to initiate the closure of the cathedral, which carries a debt of £169,114 including £73,000 which was paid to repair dry rot in the Canadian pine timbers of the roof more than a decade ago.
Ownership of the cathedral will be transferred to the Kirk’s general trustees, who will prepare for it to be closed and disposed of.
They have already approved the sale of the manse to cover the cost of the outstanding debt and a meeting will be held today to set out the timescale of closure.
Last month Rev Karen Fenwick, of Forfar’s Lowson memorial, who proposed the dissolution motion, said that every avenue to reverse the cathedral’s financial woes had been exhausted.
She said: “No-one is denying Brechin Cathedral has a wealth of history and that history can be told.”
Instead it is hoped that the buildings can be transferred to a community group and used as a visitor attraction.
A meeting in February was told that cathedral membership stood at about 420, but that weekly attendances were significantly lower.
The Rev Martin Fair, moderator-elect of the hurch’s general assembly, who is based in Arbroath, said that the cathedral’s rich history counted for little without a “lively worshipping congregation”.
“The implication is that the older the building, the more important it is,” he said. “That would be important if this was a meeting of Historic Scotland or some such body.”
The church is currently celebrating its 800th anniversary with a programme of events already planned throughout the summer to mark the milestone.
And the Brechin 2020 committee vowed to “redouble their efforts” to mark the milestone, despite the imminent threat to the future of the debt-ridden building.
Committee chairman Steve Dempsey said the planned closure has only strengthened the committee’s desire to “promote and nurture interest in the cathedral in the local community”.
He said: “The committee have a programme of events scheduled over the coming months and it was the unanimous view of the members was that they will continue with their plans and redouble their efforts to celebrate the 800th birthday of the cathedral on June 7.
“The events and projects will continue after June 2020 for the remainder of the calendar year. “The response of the group was robust in the face of the challenges that lay ahead for the congregation of the cathedral.”
He said: “Brechin 2020 recognise the opportunities the committee can play in ensuring the future for the building.
“They are keen to work in partnership with the congregation and other partners to consider how the historic building can be used in the future.
“The committee are resolute in their view that planned events can be used to promote and nurture interest in the cathedral in the local community and how it can be used in the future.”
- READ MORE: Fascinating biography of Church of Scotland moderator tells the story of the Kirk's decline
The dedicated group of local people have been working over two years to develop special projects and plans for the celebrations to mark the 800th anniversary.
The committee has also worked closely with a design company called Bright Bricks to develop a Lego model of the cathedral.
A final session is being planned to allow the public to build their own small scale model of the cathedral.
With the support of teachers from Brechin High School, a group of pupils are producing a set of multi-media sequences of Lego figures which tell the story of key events in the history of the cathedral and the local community.
Plans are being developed to produce a patchwork embroidery hanging which will tell the story of the cathedral and the events in the history of the local community. A pageant procession is also planned, which will fill the streets of Brechin with medieval knights, jousters on horseback and jesters.
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