7-596: The remains of the Orphir Round Church (or Round Kirk), also St Nicholas's Church , are located in Orphir Parish on the Mainland, Orkney , Scotland . It has been part of a scheduled monument since 2014. The church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas , consisted of a barrel-vaulted apse on the eastern side of its 6-metre-wide (20 ft) circular nave . It consisted of a circular nave about six metres in diameter and
14-465: A semicircular apse with a central window. The walls are one metre thick. It is thought to have been built by jarl (earl) Haakon Paulsson ( Earl of Orkney from 1103 to 1123) as penance for murdering his cousin and co-ruler Magnus Erlendsson (later Saint Magnus) in the late 11th or early 12th century. According to the Orkneyinga saga , earl Haakon took sole power in 1117 after the killing of Magnus, and
21-475: Is a parish and settlement on Mainland, Orkney , Scotland . It is approximately 9 miles (14 kilometres) southwest of Kirkwall , and comprises a seaboard tract of about 7 by 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi (11.5 by 5.5 km), and includes Cava and the Holm of Houton . The coast includes Houton Head, about 300 feet (90 metres) tall, but all elsewhere is nearly level; and the interior is an assemblage of vales and hills,
28-544: Is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and is open to the public. The remains are protected as a scheduled monument . Geophysical surveys have proved to not be very effective in investigating the remains of the church but excavations have been more effective in understanding the history and development of the church. 58°55′19″N 3°09′24″W / 58.9219°N 3.1567°W / 58.9219; -3.1567 Orphir Orphir (pronounced / ɔːr f ɪr / , Old Norse : Jorfjara/Orfjara )
35-548: The latter culminating at about 700 ft (210 m) above sea level. A chief residence was the Hall of Clestrain ; and chief antiquities include the ruins of Earl Paul's Palace, remains of pre-Reformation chapels, the Round Kirk and several tumuli . The ferry terminal of Houton is located in Orphir. The ferries to Flotta and Hoy (Lyness) depart from this point. Ramsdale Shooting Range
42-540: The round kirk was later rededicated to St Magnus. The saga refers to a "large drinking-hall" with a "magnificent church" nearby. The remains of the drinking hall, known as the 'Earl's Bu', can still be seen, as well as an 11th-century Norse horizontal watermill. It is the oldest surviving round church in Scotland; the only other round medieval church in Scotland is found at Roxburgh near the English border. The building's design
49-578: Was inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the circular churches became a popular design with returning crusaders attempting to copy the famous structure. Almost the whole church survived until 1757, when most of it was demolished to provide stone for the new parish kirk, which has also now been demolished. Only the apse and a small segment of the round kirk's nave wall now survive. The site
#998001