The Corpus of ROMANESQUE SCULPTURE in Britain & Ireland
Morayshire (pre-1975 traditional (Scotland))
Parish church
Birnie is situated just south of Elgin in Scotland. The church at Birnie, built with ashlared stone, consists of a rectangular nave with narrower, rectangular chancel. There is a Romanesque doorway on the south side of the nave and a blocked one on the north side. As well, there are N and S chancel windows of Romanesque form. A new west gable was built in 1734, when the nave may have been shortened. In 1817, repairs were made on the interior of the church, but in 1891 a major restoration took place. Alterations to the south windows were undertaken in 1975. The chancel arch is of two orders, with a single capital on each side. Besides the chancel arch, the other sculpted Romanesque feature surviving is the baptismal font with modern support and base.