Scheduled Monument
Struan Church, St Fillan's Church and cross-slabSM1627
Status: Designated
Documents
Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).
The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.
Summary
- Date Added
- 16/11/1923
- Last Date Amended
- 25/10/2001
- Supplementary Information Updated
- 06/08/2019
- Type
- Crosses and carved stones: cross slab, Ecclesiastical: church
- Local Authority
- Perth And Kinross
- Planning Authority
- Perth And Kinross
- Parish
- Blair Atholl
- NGR
- NN 80889 65340
- Coordinates
- 280889, 765340
Description
The monuments consist of a cross-incised slab to the south-west of the present parish church, within the churchyard, and the site of the medieval church dedicated to St Fillan, to the south of the present parish church built in 1829.
The cross-incised slab stands to a height of 1.1m and has a simply incised cross on both its east and west faces. It is known to have been one of a number of early stones associated with the site. One of the stones, which is incised with Pictish symbols, has now been re-located within the church in order to ensure its long-term protection; this stone may indicate that Struan was an important settlement before it became a base of Christian cult. An early hand bell, now in Perth Museum, gives further evidence of the early ecclesiastical use of the site.
The site of the church is visible as the faint outline of a rectangular structure of about 22.5m by 6.5m, immediately to the south of the church now in use. Its dedication to St Fillan perpetuates the tradition that this area was at the heart of the area of activity of one of what may have been a number of early holy men with the name of Fillan.
The area to be scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which there is high archaeological potential. It is sub-rectangular in shape and measures 50m from ENE to WSW by 15 m from NNW to SSE as marked in red on the accompanying map extract. Any burial lairs within which there are active or residual burial rights are excluded from the scheduled area.
Statement of National Importance
The monument is of national importance as a typical early Christian memorial of uncertain but early date, and attests the longevity of this particular ecclesiastical location.
References
Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation
About Scheduled Monuments
Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.
We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.
Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)
Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the
scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).
The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.
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