Auld Kirk
Historic, holy and beautiful, the Parish Church of St Monans, (called 'the Auld Kirk' by locals), was first constructed in 1369 as a Roman Catholic shrine by King David II Bruce for Saint Monan, or 'Moenenn', the saint responsible for the early village of Inverie's (soon to be St Monans) existence.
Many important restorations were made in the period running from the building's first construction, right up until it was recognised as property of the Christian Church of Scotland in 1646. Changes in the building ranged from things as simple as window changes, all of the way to ripping the building back to its basics and starting again.
Looking at the building from a north-westerly view, we can notice that the Church is in fact missing a fully functional Nave. A Nave is the central point in which all four directional points of a Church building meet. From this picture, we can see that only 3 of the 4 parts of St Monans Parish Church were constructed, likely due to historical events, powerful opinion and budget. Building a place of worship as beautiful as St Monans Parish Church came with its hardships, one of which was the sheer cost to create the building. Without the added cost of woodwork, St Monans Parish Church cost £613, 7s and 0d (in old British Pounds, Shillings and Pence) to envision and create.
On the westerly edge of the building, a small and circular pipe-like shape protrudes from the outer wall. This is the now defunct, yet still existent stairway that lead to the steeple of the Church. After an inspection deemed the tower unsafe to climb, it was closed to all, and an era drew to a sharp close.
Witchcraft was strongly forbidden in 18th century Britain, and was punishable by death in almost all cases. Supposed 'witches' would be locked up in cells, towers and church steeples before facing their deadly and torturous end as reparations for their acts. Between 1700 and 1710, a famous witchcraft trial took place in Pittenweem, the village just east of St Monans, seeing the death of many innocent women. St Monans also had a part to play in the punishment of the accused. In fact, a woman named Christian Dote was brutally killed in St Monans due to her high 'crimes', and her prescence is said to still be felt by some to this very day. Her ashes are said to have been scattered in the area.
The village of St Monans goes by the motto 'Mare Vivimus', meaning 'Sea Life' or 'We Live by the Sea.' The Firth of Forth is quite literally the foundation for the village, and the motto is rather fitting consdering it's proximity. The 'Auld Kirk' holds many accolades, some for beauty, for mystique, and for the welcoming and warm congregation of the Parish. Above all of these claims to fame, St Monans Parish Church is in fact the closest place of worship to the sea in Scotland, being roughly 20 metres from the coastal edge.
The topic of future coastal erosion poses a huge threat to the building and to many others in the area of its kind. Despite these concerns, it is likely that many, many years will pass before any substantial action related to coastal erosion will endanger the building, as there are 2 protective stone walls keeping the Firth of Forth from damaging the grounds that play host to the Church's foundations.
As of 2022, a proposal has come forward with potential to sell the building and move local worship elsewhere. This may never come to fruition, but certainly serves as a divisive topic amongst those in the village, alongside those who travel to worship, or to visit the building.