- Religion in Aberdeen
Religion in
Aberdeen is traditionallyChristian with the city being represented by a number of denominations, particularly theChurch of Scotland through thePresbytery of Aberdeen and theCatholic faith. However, according to the 2001 census, Aberdeen is the least religious city in the country, with nearly 43% of people claiming to have no religion.Aberdeen is also home to an Islamic Mosque in Old Aberdeen and a small informal Jewish congregation. There is no formal
Buddhist orHindu building. TheUniversity of Aberdeen has a small Bahá'í society.Christian
The largest denomination in the city (in terms of membership) is the
Church of Scotland . TheChurch of Scotland 'sPresbytery of Aberdeen has 41 parish churches.In the
Middle Ages , Aberdeen contained houses of theCarmelites (Whitefriars ) andFranciscans (Greyfriars ), the latter surviving in modified form as the chapel ofMarischal College as late as the early20th Century .Also churches still in use today are located in the city centre including Bon Accord Free Church which is situated on Rosemount
viaduct nearHis Majesty's Theatre andGilcomston South Church situated at the corner of Union Street and Summer Street. Many other churches in the city centre have been converted into bars and restaurants.Kirk of St Nicholas
In the
Middle Ages there was only one burgh kirk - the Kirk of St Nicholas, one ofScotland 's largest parish churches. Like a number of other Scottish kirks, it was subdivided after theReformation , in this case into the East and West churches. The Kirk of St Nicholas congregation is now an ecumenical partnership in membership of both theChurch of Scotland and theUnited Reformed Church . The largekirkyard of the Kirk of St Nicholas is separated from Union Street by a 147 ft (45 m) long Ionic facade, built in 1830. The divided church within, with a central tower and spire, forms one continuous building 220 ft (67 m) in length.t Machar's Cathedral
The pre-Reformation
Diocese of Aberdeen is said to have been first founded at Mortlach inBanffshire by Máel Coluim II (1005 -1034 ) to celebrate his victory there over the Danes, but in1137 David I (1124 -1153 ) transferred thebishopric toOld Aberdeen , and twenty years laterSt Machar's Cathedral was begun, a few hundred yards from the river Don. With the exception of the period of the episcopate ofWilliam Elphinstone (1484 -1511 ), building progressed slowly.Gavin Dunbar , who followed him in1518 , completed the structure by adding the two western spires and the southern transept. The church suffered severely at theReformation , but is still used by theChurch of Scotland as a parish church.t Mary's Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral is the
Roman Catholic Cathedral. A Gothic building, it was erected in1859 .t. Andrew's Cathedral
St. Andrew's Cathedral is the Scottish Episcopal Cathedral. It was constructed in
1817 and was Archibald Simpson's first commission. The Episcopal Church in Aberdeen is notable for having consecrated the first bishop of theEpiscopal Church in the United States of America ,Samuel Seabury . The cathedral was renovated in the 1930s to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Seabury's consecration. The memorial was dedicated with a ceremony attended by the then U.S. ambassador to the UK,Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr .References
[http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ACCI/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.asp?lID=1726&sID=332]
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