St Kentigern's Church (Ruin)

Category B listed ruins and one of Scotland's 8000 Scheduled Monuments

St Kentigern’s Church is one of around 8,000 Scheduled Monuments in Scotland. These are recognised by Historic Environment Scotland as being nationally important monuments and sites. National importance takes account of a wide range of factors, including artistic, archaeological, architectural, historic, traditional, aesthetic, scientific and social. The aim of scheduling is to preserve sites and monuments as far as possible in the form in which they have come down to us today. These ruins, mostly from around 1180, are the most evocative of all the historic remains in Lanark. The building itself stands on the site of a much earlier church, possibly founded by St Kentigern himself in 603AD. The church itself was known as the 'oot church' as it lay just outside the town boundary.

Lanark Community Development Trust, in partnership with South Lanarkshire Council and Historic Environment Scotland, have worked to undertake remedial building works on the ruined building to halt further degradation. Click here to read more about this project (opens in new tab).

St Kentigern's Church is part of the 'Footsteps of William Wallace' walking leaflet. It's thought that Wallace may have worshipped at this church, and wed his sweetheart Marion Braidfute within the walls of this now ruined building.

To visit St Kentigern's Church, it is advised to park in the nearby 'Braidfute Retail Park' and cross the road to access the driveway which leads to the ruins.