| King's College Chapel, Aberdeen | |
|---|---|
 | |
 King's College Chapel, Aberdeen | |
| Location | Aberdeen |
| Country | Scotland |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Collegiate chapel |
| Dedication | The Trinity andthe Blessed Virgin Mary in her Nativity |
| Consecrated | 1509 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade A listed |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Years built | 1495-1509 |
King's College Chapel is thechapel ofKing's College in theUniversity of Aberdeen. The Crown Tower is considered one of the most recognisable symbols of the university andAberdeen.[1][2]
According to an inscription on the west front, construction was started on the 2nd April, 1500,[3] however the preparations for its construction began in 1498, slowed due to the land being marshy.[4] The architect might have been Alexander Gray or John Grey.[5] It was consecrated in 1509, and dedicated to theTrinity and theBlessed Virgin Mary in her Nativity.[6] It was built from golden Moray sandstone, which was shipped to Aberdeen at great expense.[7] TheHector Boece, principal of the university, wrote in 1522 that the steeple was of great height, and surrounded by stonework arched in form of an imperial crown (referring to the crown tower).[7] Boyce himself was buried at the foot of the chancel.[8]
During theReformation, the stained glass windows were destroyed, but they were later replaced. The Catholic teaching staff were purged in 1569, and the six choir boys were also dismissed. In 1633, a storm blew down the original crown from the tower, which was subsequently replaced the following year.[9] The college library (which was housed in the nave of the chapel) burnt down in 1772, however the university's books were saved.[5][10]
In 1921, followingWorld War I, theSenatus Academicus decided to reconstruct the Antechapel to include a war memorial for the 342 that had died during the war, from all fournations of the university, without rank or title. On Remembrance Sunday 1952, it was unveiled again in an extended form and rededicated by Rev. Dr William Neil.[11]
In the year 2000, to mark the chapel's 500 year anniversary, the university organised a traditionalLatin Mass, only the second time since the Reformation that a Catholic mass had been held at the chapel.[12]
The chapel features whitewashed walls,[13] and a wooden canopy, stalls, and screen, which are considered some of the finest surviving examples of early 16th century woodwork in Scotland.[14] The pulpit was originally constructed for St Machar's Cathedral in 1530.[13]
The main organ currently in the chapel was built by Bernard Aubertin in 2004.[15]
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57°09′51″N2°06′05″W / 57.16415°N 2.10126°W /57.16415; -2.10126
