The Medieval Church
Explore religious life and belief in Scotland after Christianity
was established.
Christianity began to spread through Scotland in the fifth and
sixth centuries AD. The story begins in the Early People gallery and continues into
Medieval times.
Early saints
Association with a saint or shrine often explains the survival
of objects hundreds of years old. In this gallery, you can find out
more about Scotland's early saints and discover how pilgrimage
influenced Scottish religious life. You'll also learn more about
the importance of the town of St Andrews.
Holy relics
One of the most impressive objects linked with the Church in
medieval Scotland is the crozier which belonged to Fillan, an
eighth-century Irish saint who was active in Perthshire. Several
relics of St Fillan have survived. The crozier left Scotland with
an emigrant to Canada, but was returned some 60 years later and has
ever since been in the care of the Museum (Case 14).
Holy blood
The Fetternear banner is one of the Museum's most treasured
objects. Dating from 1520, it's the only known church banner from
Medieval Scotland and its colour has hardly faded over 500 years.
It was made for the Confratenity of the Holy Blood, a cult which
began in Bruges, in Belgium.