Spring Parish Church And New Cemetery On Visit To Upper Largo East Neuk Of Fife Scotland

Tour Scotland Spring travel video, with Scottish music, of the parish church and new cemetery on visit to Upper Largo, East Neuk of Fife. The original cemetery was the graveyard that surrounds Largo Kirk. The new cemetery was opened in 1859 and, involved the architect George Birrell, son of Hugh Birrell a builder architect based in Drumeldrie. The Patron Saint of Largo, Largauch, is Saint Leonard who was born in 496 AD and died 559 AD. He was a Frankish saint closely associated with the town and abbey of Saint Leonard de Noblat in Haute Vienne in the Limousin region of France. Largo along with Kilconquhar, Maybole and Logie was given to the Monastery of the Cisterian Order of Nuns of St Mary at North Berwick by Earl Duncan II of Fife. This was confirmed by Bishop William Malvoisin of St Andrews between 1204 and 1228 with the stipulation that the nuns must preserve the vicarage at Largo to the south west of the church held by Master Hugh the physician, for his lifetime, thereafter present a suitable vicar to hold the vicarage for the service of the parish church. There is some evidence that the church had been established in Largo in the reign of King Angus of Scotland. The church was reconsecrated by David de Bernham, Bishop of St Andrews on Friday 17 th July 1243. The oldest existing part of the building is the Chancel which was built in 1623. It is possible that as the walls are thicker at the bottom this constituted part of the original building. The steeple dates from 1628 and the bell from 1636. It was possibly enlarged about 1688. The wall around the original graveyard dates to 1657. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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