Day 7: 17 August 2019 ~ Orphir Round Church and Earl’s Bu
- Location: Orphir Round Church , Orphir, Orkney, Scotland
- Date Taken: 2019-08-17
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II
- Lens: Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 18-200 mm F/3-5.6 IS
- Exposure Program: Manual
- F-Stop: f/3.5
- Exposure Time: 1/1250 sec
- ISO Speed: ISO-400
- Focal Length: 18 mm
- Metering Mode: Center Weighted Average
- Handheld
During the early period of Norse rule, the Mainland parish of Orphir was a center of power. Today, the parish contains the remains of Scotland’s only surviving circular medieval church.
The Orphir Round Kirk was built in the late 11th or early 12th century; by Earl Hakon and dedicated to Saint Nicholas.
According to the Orkneyinga saga, after the slaying of Saint Magnus in Egilsay, Earl Hakon assumed power – seizing control of all Orkney.
It is perhaps not surprising that the man responsible for the murder of the beloved Magnus – around whose remains strange tales of miraculous happenings were already beginning to circulate – was having trouble with his conscience. Hakon decided to undertake a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. On his return to Orkney, he instigated the construction of the little church on his estate.
At the time of the construction of the Kirk, the Great Crusades were in full swing, and the circular church had become a popular design with returning crusaders attempting to copy the famous structure in the Holy Land.
The Round Kirk consisted of a circular nave over six meters in diameter and an apse. The apse and a small section of the circular Nave remain today.
Thank you very much for taking the time to join me on my travels through Scotland one Photo at a time. I hope you enjoyed it just as much as I did.
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Till next time, safe travels and keep dreaming.
Have a fabulous day.
Coreen