Description

The monument comprises the remains of St Mary's Chapel on the N end of the island of Damsay, a small island in the Bay of Firth, off Finstown, Orkney. The monument was first scheduled in 1970 but the original documentation is missing: the present re-scheduling rectifies this.

The site of St Mary's Chapel, a renowned place of pilgrimage down to post-medieval times, is traditionally identified with an amorphous, grass-covered mound located on the narrow neck of land between a freshwater loch and the N shore. The mound is roughly rectilinear in shape, measuring about 14m E-W by 7m transversely, and it stands more than 1m high. Coastal erosion on the seaward site has resulted in two exposures of stone and earth and some possible flagged flooring.

The area to be scheduled is irregular in plan measuring a maximum of 30m E-W by 23m transversely, to include the chapel mound and an area around it in which associated remains may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance for its potential to provide evidence about the medieval church in Orkney and for its significance as a place of medieval and later pilgrimage. It has been suggested that this may be the site of a monastery, which further adds to its interest.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

The monument is recorded in the RCAHMS as HY 31 SE 21.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland