Birth of St Columba marked

Members of Old High Saint Stephen’s Church in Inverness came together on Wednesday to mark 1,500 years since the birth of Saint Columba.

The church is where Saint Columba is thought to have converted Pictish King Brude to Christianity in 565 AD.

It sits on Saint Michael’s Mount which, since the saint’s arrival in Inverness, has been an important site of worship.

On Wednesday, the saint’s feast day, a small group gathered at Old High Saint Stephen’s Church to celebrate. A short ceremony was organised by deacon Dot Getliffe and kirk elder Jim Alexander.

They remembered Saint Columba through prayer and hymns.

Ms Getliffe and Mr Alexander also acted out the infamous meeting between the saint and the king.

A few of Saint Columba’s followers founded a monastic cell in the church after he left.

A more elaborate structure, known as the Church of Saint Mary, was built in 1171.

The main part of the church as it stands today was rebuilt and completed in 1772, though the tower is thought to date back to the 14th Century.

The church usually hosts the annual Kirking of the Council ceremony.

MEETING: King Brude (Dot Getliffe, right) confronts St Columba (Jim Alexander).

Jim Alexander recounts the story of St Columba.