Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs: its symbolism, form and functions

On account of its composition and relative completeness, the Skelmorlie Aisle in Largs is the most impressive structure of its type and period in the country. This article considers the aisle and its components, its structure and setting, as well as its history as far as the twentieth century, argui...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Innes review
Main Author: MacKechnie, Aonghus (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: University Press [2020]
In: The Innes review
IxTheo Classification:CE Christian art
KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history
KBF British Isles
KDD Protestant Church
Further subjects:B Freemasonry
B Skelmorlie Aisle
B Symbolism
B Largs
B Margaret Douglas (died 1624)
B Triumphal arch
B Sir Robert Montgomerie (died 1651)
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
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Summary:On account of its composition and relative completeness, the Skelmorlie Aisle in Largs is the most impressive structure of its type and period in the country. This article considers the aisle and its components, its structure and setting, as well as its history as far as the twentieth century, arguing that it was conceived as a single entity and that its purpose was connected with funeral ritual. It had a processional layout rarely seen in seventeenth-century Scotland, hinging on the triumphal arch inside, used here not for the living hero but for the deceased on their passage to life after death. The structure involved some of the top craftsmen associated with courtier works of the period and its composition was fundamentally shaped by masonic symbolism and proportion. There is also the tentative suggestion that the aisle signalled the covert Catholicism of a client who was outwardly Presbyterian.
ISSN:1745-5219
Contains:Enthalten in: The Innes review
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3366/inr.2020.0266