Description

The monument comprises fragments of the S,W and N walls of the church pertaining to a Priory of Augustinian Canons, dedicated to St Fillan, and a graveyard lying to the NE. The earliest foundation on the site was that of a non-parochial chapel dating to the late 13th century which was later converted into both a parochial and conventual establishment. The Priory was founded in 1317/18, with a grant to the church fabric recorded in 1329, and dissolved in 1607.

The S wall of the church stands to the greatest height and is of rubble construction with a deeply splayed plinth and a number of window openings. Traces of structures to the E of the upstanding remains are interpreted as including the apse of the building and the remains of some of the conventual buildings: most Scottish houses were small and poorly endowed and the conventual planning at St Fillans could prove to be strikingly irregular. The graveyard, bounded by a modern stone dyke, lies to the NE of the Priory church and contains gravestones dating mainly to the 18th-20th centuries but including two early Christian carved stones.

The monument was first scheduled in 1993 but an inadequate area was included to protect all the archaeological remains: the present rescheduling rectifies this. The area to be scheduled is irregular in shape with maximum dimensions of 40m N-S by 60m E-W to include the remains of the Priory Church, an area lying to the E where archaeological deposits are likely to survive and the graveyard lying to the NE of the church. From the northernmost corner of the graveyard, the boundary follows the line of the enclosing dyke to the SE before turning SW to the southernmost point of the enclosure.

It then runs due S until it meets the bank of the burn at which point it turns due W to meet the southernmost corner of the enclosure surrounding the church. The boundary then follows the line of this enclosure in an anti-clockwise direction to its NE corner and crosses the line of The West Highland Way to meet the SW corner of the graveyard wall. It then turns NNE to the starting point, as marked in red on the accompanying map. The top 0.3m of The West Highland Way track and associated car park are excluded from the scheduling to allow for their maintenance.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because it is a well documented example of a church patronised by Robert I which gained priory status in 1318. It is described as the monastery or Chapel Royal of Strathfillan in 1542-43. Although the domestic buildings of the priory have been removed the church and graveyard provide and have the potential to provide further evidence, through excavation, which may contribute to our understanding of Medieval monasticism, ecclesiastical architecture, Royal patronage, burial practices and material culture during the period of its construction and use.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NN32NE 1.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland