“Son of Talmai” what echoes do you think linger here at St Bartholomew’s Chapel? It is a place steeped in history. Today we stand before what remains of St Bartholomew’s Chapel.
The Isle of Man is unique. It is not part of England. It is not part of the United Kingdom. It is not part of Great Britain. The Isle of Man is a Crown Dependency. It sits in the Irish Sea.
At the start of the first millennium AD the population was Celtic. There was no England and no Scotland. The Romans did not invade the Isle of Man. Germanic Angles Saxons Frisians and Jutes did not invade the Isle of Man either. The Isle of Man was more influenced by Ireland in its culture and religion.
Vikings pillaged the island in the first half of the ninth century. They settled the land from about AD850. Viking Kings of Dublin ruled it until about AD 990. The Earls of Orkney ruled until 1079. Scandinavian rulers were in charge until 1266. Then it was ceded to Scotland.
The first Christians on the Isle of Man were Irish missionaries. They were known as “Culdees”. “Culdee” originates from “Celi De”. It means “Companion of God”. They converted the Manx population. They built small chapels known as “keeills”. Keeills were tiny and simple. They sheltered the monk. They did not house a congregation. Many were destroyed during Viking raids that started in AD798. Once the Vikings embraced Christianity the keeills were rebuilt. Some of these keeills were rebuilt again. They became parish churches from about the twelfth century.
These churches were still simple. They probably had a single cell. There was possibly a screen between priest and congregation. There was none of the triumphalist building. The Normans were undertaking this on the mainland. There was presumably little of the elaborate carving. That characterised many of those churches. There is no sign that the “Romanesque” plan was adopted anywhere.
The churches today vary greatly in size. Some of them are very large. They tend to have been rebuilt during the Victorian era. They show few similarities with the archetypal English mainland church. That features aisles a clerestory Gothic windows a western tower and spire. Inside many accommodate very large congregations. West galleries are still in-situ. They feature large elaborate pipe organs. In many ways they resemble very large non-conformist churches. Some have elements of the old mediaeval church incorporated. Individual churches have little to impress the church enthusiast.
However you can see the foundations of the keeils in churchyards around the island. Kirk Braddan Church has three. They may not look like a lot. They are fascinating and moving for those interested in early church history.
The island has fragments of over two hundred crosses and slabs. These are from the Celtic and Viking eras. Most are housed within the parish churches. They are also in shelters built within the churchyards. They have been catalogued and researched comprehensively. Information is available on each. The oldest at Kirk Lonan dates from the fifth century. It is still standing in the churchyard. You will see the interlaced designs of the Celtic era. You will also see the Pagan imagery of the Vikings. Christianity and Paganism mingled on the same cross. Runic inscriptions are everywhere. From these we know who some of the carvers were. We also know why they erected the crosses.
St Bartholomew’s Chapel might seem like just ruins. But remember its place in a long story of faith and culture. It is a place where Celtic monks Viking settlers and the Manx people all left their mark.