Old High St Stephen's

Old High Church
St Stephen's Church

Old High St Stephen's Church (Scottish Gaelic: Seann Eaglais Ard) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. The congregation was formed on 30 October 2003 by a union of the congregations of Inverness Old High (57°28′48″N 4°13′44″W / 57.4801°N 4.2289°W / 57.4801; -4.2289 (Old High Church)Coordinates: 57°28′48″N 4°13′44″W / 57.4801°N 4.2289°W / 57.4801; -4.2289 (Old High Church)) and Inverness St Stephen's (57°28′23″N 4°13′07″W / 57.4730°N 4.2186°W / 57.4730; -4.2186 (St Stephen's Church)). Unusually in a union of Church of Scotland congregations, both buildings were retained for worship. Sunday services are held almost every Sunday in both buildings (at 10am at St Stephen's and 11.15am at the Old High), but both places of worship are under the jurisdiction of the one Kirk Session.

The Old High congregation was the oldest congregation in Inverness. The church—the historic town church of Inverness—mainly dates from the eighteenth century. It is on a site, overlooking the banks of the River Ness, which has been used for worship since Celtic times. Thus the congregation can claim to have been founded by St Columba, the Irish monk who first brought Christianity to Inverness. Among many notable features are a Father Willis organ, restored in 2010. The Old High Church is a category A listed building.

St Stephen's was founded as a 'daughter church' of the Old High in 1897. It is a gothic building in Morayshire freestone, designed by WL Carruthers. St Stephen's is a category B listed building.

The congregation serves a parish area which includes the city centre, part of the Crown area, and the southern suburbs of the city, including Drummond and Lochardil.

The first minister of the united charge was the Reverend Peter W Nimmo, who was inducted in August 2004. He had previously been minister of High Carntyne in Glasgow.

See also

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