The Heritage and Arts Commission of the Archdiocese of St
Andrews and Edinburgh was formed 1998 in recognition of the
important contribution that Scotland's Catholic community
has made towards the cultural, historic and artistic wealth
of the nation. Churches and Church buildings contain many
significant and sometimes valuable items of historic and artistic
interest. This includes items of both intrinsic value such
as chalices and monstrances but also many works of art in
the form of paintings, icons, stained glass, tapestries’,
wall hangings and other art works.
Of interest too are items of historical worth such as vestments,
books, metal workings, ceramics, mosaics and so on. The Scottish
Catholic Heritage Commission also advises the Bishops' Conference
of Scotland in the preservation of all aspects of Scottish
Catholic Heritage at home in our Parishes but also abroad
in the various places around the world where the Scottish
Catholic diaspora have left their footprints.
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The commission was founded by Cardinal
O'Brien at the suggestion of Canon John Urquhart.
He had written a paper which was submitted to the Cardinal
in 1997 entitled "Promoting the Arts: The
Role of the Church". In 1998 the first
meetings of the Heritage and Arts Commission took place
of which Canon Urquhart became Chairman and remained
in this post for over ten years.
More recently in response to proposed changes to the
Eccelsiastical exemption within the planning regulations,
the Heritage and Arts Commission has been extended to
every Parish in the Archdiocese. One of the projects
that the Commission has undertaken is to record the
contents of our churches in order that we have an archive
of the items contained within each Parish community
that may be of value or interest in either cultural,
historic or artisic terms. Hence the Heritage and Arts
Commission is able to act more professionally in defending
and preserving the cultural heritage of the Archdiocese
and indeed the nation.
Here too in St Patrick's Kilsyth there is a wealth
of historic, artistic and also items of genuine intrinsic
value, not only of interest to those in Kilsyth but
of national Scottish importance as well.
We have a small team of volunteers who are currently
recording, photographing and documenting the history
and the nature of all of the items we have in St Patrick's,
in order to present to the Cardinal with a written record
of all of the items we have in our Church, our halls
and in the Parish House. Ultimately this will be copied
to the Scottish
Catholic Archives and a copy kept in Kilsyth.
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With the help of formal training from the members of the
Archdiocesan Heritage and Arts Commission together with the
resources contained within the Scottish Catholic Archives
at Columba House in Drummond Place, Edinburgh our volunteers
have been working on what will be a multi-year project to
create what will be itself a valuable reference resource in
future years.
If you would like to join us or if you would like to know
more about the History and Heritage of St Patrick's Kilsyth
- then please click here.
| Members
of the Archdiocesan Heritage and Arts Commission
Honorary Chair:
Very Rev Mgr Stephen Robson, Vice Chair: Lady Kate
Gill, Treasurer: Mr Andrew Nicoll, Mr Ian Campbell,
Mr Alastair Cherry, Ms Oula Jones, Mr Owen Gormley,
Ms June Halliday, Ms Geraldine Prince. |
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