Church Overview

The Cathedral Church of St Moluag was built in the 13th century and attributed locally, by tradition, to ‘The Roman’ or ‘An Roimhanach’. Falling out of use after the Reformation, apart from brief spells during the Episcopal ascendancy, in 1749 the ruined choir of the medieval cathedral was rebuilt, reusing much of the older building masonry in the process, as the parish kirk that still stands today.

Remnants of the pre-Reformation church can be seen throughout, most notably in the piscina and triple sedilia, much of this exposed by restoration work carried out by architect Ian G Lindsay in the 1950s. The floor is also now over half a metre higher than in was when it was a cathedral and the building today houses eight medieval carved slab-stones, said to be of the ‘Loch Awe School” and a recumbent carved stone.

It possesses six stained glass windows, including two by Mary Isobel Wood and two by Roland Mitton. There is also traditional baptismal font carved into a natural rock surface in the graveyard, where visitors can see many interesting memorials including that marking the grave of Donald Stewart of Invernalyle or “Donald the Hammer” who died around 1590.

Like hundreds of churches across the country, the historic kirk was threatened with closure by the Church of Scotland during a period of rationalisation of its nationwide property portfolio. A group of concerned islanders then formed a SCIO called Kilmoluag Liosmor to take forward discussions about local community ownership of this ancient ecclesiastical site.

After four years of careful planning and a local fundraising campaign, the organisation took formal possession of their island kirk on 25 June (St Moluag’s Feast Day) 2026. The group plans to continue holding regular services in the church, while protecting and maintaining the building and utilising it as an active heritage and community hub for the island.

Services

12.30 p.m. every Sunday

Opening Arrangements

Open daily

     (by arrangement)

Disclaimer

The information about churches in Scotland’s Churches Scheme has been provided by the congregations or taken from the Historic Scotland list and published sources, in particular, the Buildings of Scotland volumes and the RIAS Illustrated Architectural Guides. To contact this specific church please complete the Contact this Church form above. The information is not authoritative; please contact Scotland’s Churches Trust to let us know of any errors or omissions.