Cullen Old Church

Cullen Old Church
Cullen Old Church
Cullen Auld Kirk
	The four-light window in the south gable
	57°41′03″N 2°49′41″W / 57.6843°N 2.8280°W
Location	Cullen, Moray
Country	Scotland
Denomination	Church of Scotland
Previous denomination	Roman Catholic (prior to the Scottish Reformation)
Website	www.cullen-deskford-church.org.uk
History
Founded	Earliest record 1236
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Category A listed building
Clergy
Minister(s)	Rev Douglas F Stevenson

Cullen Old Church (also known as Cullen Auld Kirk) is the parish church for Cullen and Deskford, in Moray. It was originally a part of the Roman Catholic Church, but has been a part of the Church of Scotland since the Scottish Reformation. John R. Hume describes Cullen Old Church as a fine example of late Scots Gothic architecture, and it was designated a Category A listed building in 1972. It is still an active place of worship, with weekly services presided over by Rev Douglas F Stevenson.

First mentioned in records dating from 1236 that document its elevation to a parish church, it was further elevated to collegiate status in 1543, and underwent a series of extensions, improvements and renovations in the centuries that followed. It is known for being the burial place of the internal organs of Queen Elizabeth de Burgh. After Elizabeth died at Cullen Castle in 1327, her body was taken to Dunfermline for interment, but the organs, which were removed as part of the embalming process, were buried at the church. Her husband, King Robert the Bruce, subsequently established a chaplaincy at the church to offer prayers for her soul.