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| History / St. Clements Church |
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St. Clements Church
Situated in the village of Rodel, three miles south of Leverburgh.
St Clement's Church at Rodel, on the Isle of Harris, was built in the late 15th century for the Chiefs of the MacLeods of Harris, who lived across the Minch at Dunvegan Castle. |
In 1528 Alasdair Crotach Macleod, 8th Chief, prepared for himself a magnificent wall tomb. Above a carved effigy of the chief, four angels circle above the Virgin Mary and two bishops; the chief's castle at Dunvegan and his galley; below is the scene of the Chief hunting stags; the weighing of his soul and an inscriptions.
The arch of the tomb carries carvings of the twelve apostles; two angels and God the father holding the cross and surrounded by the beasts of the four evangelists. This is the finest late mediaeval wall tomb in Scotland.
The church became ruinous in the 18th century and was restored in 1784; it was accidentally burned and restored again. In the 19th century it was used as a cow byre before being restored by Lady Dunmore in 1873.
The church has also become a popular venue for weddings, for more details click here
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