Kilarrow Church () is a
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
parish church, overlooking and serving
Bowmore on the island of
Islay
Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...
.
The "Round Church", as it is often known, was built in 1767. It has a highly unusual circular design, copied by some churches built in the 1960s. It has been suggested that the circular design was intended to ensure that there were no corners in which the devil could hide. The roof is supported by a single massive central pillar.
The Church also contains some artifacts belonging to the Bowmore-born Rev
Donald Caskie (1902–1983), former minister of
The Scots Kirk, Paris
The Scots Kirk Paris () is a Presbyterianism, Presbyterian Protestantism, Protestant church situated in Paris, in rue Bayard near the Champs-Elysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 8th arrondissement. It is the only congregation of the Churc ...
and notable as the "
Tartan Pimpernel" for aiding over 2,000 Allied personnel in their escape from occupied France.
The linked parishes of Kilarrow and Kilmeny are vacant following a reallocation of Ministers.
See also
*
List of Church of Scotland parishes
The Church of Scotland, the national church of Scotland, divides the country into Presbyteries, which in turn are subdivided into Parishes, each served by a parish church, usually with its own minister. Unions and readjustments may however res ...
External links
Bowmore Round Church website
Church of Scotland churches in Scotland
Churches in Argyll and Bute
Category A listed buildings in Argyll and Bute
Listed churches in Scotland
Islay
1767 establishments in Scotland
{{Scotland-CoS-church-stub