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Examine the rare and fascinating 1600s painted ceiling of an austere Highland church.

There's record of a church at 'Carantuli' in about 1250, though the existing St Mary's Church probably dates from about 1533. After the Reformation of 1560, the church was modified to make it fit for reformed worship.

The modification of the church included its magnificent 1600s painted ceiling. It shows saints, proverbs, angels and, at the very centre, death itself. It's one of only two church ceilings of the post-Reformation period still in its original setting.

Monument Monitor

We're inviting visitors to certain monuments, including this one, to be a part of a crowdsourced conservation project. Look out for the signs as you explore! Read more about Monument Monitor.

Painted ceiling showing angles blowing trumpets form heaven overlooking a person dying on earth with personified death on the deathbed.
St Marys Parish Church in the snow with the gravestones in the foreground
Close up of a ceiling paining inside St Marys Parish Church showing angles scenes

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Two adults, holding hands with two young children, walk through a graveyard, with historical stone ruins in the background. It is a sunny day.
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