Muthill Old Church, Scotland

By the late 12th Century a community of Culdees was firmly established at Muthill.  Their name came from Ceil De, Gaelic for ‘Servants of God’.  Culdees lived a monastic lifestyle, however they were not bound by the rule requiring them to live in isolation.  By the 13th Century most of the Culdee orders were dying out and being absorbed by other monastic orders.

The community at Muthill had links with the Bishops of Dunblane.  The church was once a high status building and it is thought that the Bishops may have used it themselves.

The Romanesque bell tower dates from the mid-12th Century and was originally built as a free standing tower, it originally would have been used for protection as well as for worship.  The tower is the most complete part of the ruins and what makes this church special.  It still stands to his full height and is under roof. 

By the mid-13th Century, the parish church became the focus of a legal dispute between Lindores Abbey in Fife and the Bishop of Dunblane, who both claimed ownership.  Muthill was granted to Lindores Abbey in 1199, but this was contested by the Bishop of Dunblane and in the mid-15th Century the revenues of the church were entirely in the control of Dunblane Cathedral. 

The Nave and Chancel walls were rebuilt in the 15th century.  The church remained in use after the Protestant Reformation of 1560.