# Snow Kirk

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{{Short description|Scottish church and graveyard}}
{{Tone|date=August 2025}}
thumb|350px|Snow Kirk, Aberdeen
The '''Snow Kirk''' (or '''Snow Church'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aberdeenshire Council Historic Environment Record - Aberdeen City - NJ90NW0017 - SNOW CHURCH |url=https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/smrpub/master/detail.aspx?tab=main&refno=NJ90NW0017 |access-date=2026-01-24 |website=online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk}}</ref>) in [Old Aberdeen](/source/Old_Aberdeen) was a small but important church in Scottish history. It is now ruinous but its site remains as a small graveyard within the bounds of [Aberdeen University](/source/Aberdeen_University).

==History==
This tiny church was named after Santa Maria Maggiore de Nives (St Mary of the Snows) in [Rome](/source/Rome) and was under the control of a local [Carmelite](/source/Carmelite) friary. Modern folklore attributes the name to various snow-events in Aberdeen. It is thought to have been founded (or at least named) by [Bishop Elphinstone](/source/Bishop_Elphinstone) which would place it in the mid 15th century. The church was funded by [King James IV of Scotland](/source/King_James_IV_of_Scotland). From 1495 it served a second role as chapel to [King's College, Aberdeen](/source/King's_College%2C_Aberdeen) and its Rector had a primary role as University Grammarian.<ref name=gos>{{cite web | url=https://graveyardsofscotland.com/2018/01/30/the-snow-kirk/ | title=The Snow Kirk | date=30 January 2018 }}</ref>

Originally a parish church, it was merged in 1499 with [St Machar's Cathedral](/source/St_Machar's_Cathedral) and lost its parochial status. At the point of the Reformation in Scotland of 1560–1561, it still stood but had minimal function, only holding around 30 persons at most. It was "re-closed" around 1580 due to continuing unauthorised use,<ref>Aberdeen: An Illustrated Architectural Guide by W A Brogden</ref> but when illustrated in 1688 it was still substantial (though ruinous). From around 1700 it was demolished down to a {{convert|2|m|spell=in|adj=on}} wall soon after the Reformation but remained in use for burials.<ref>[http://www.scalon.co.uk/snowkirk.htm Unknown]{{dead link|date=February 2023 | fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

In the 18th century, it was misleadingly titled the Papist Burial Ground, which confuses the idea that all burials pre-Reformation were "papist" and that some continuing Catholic burials took place thereafter. Whilst Catholic sympathies survived in the Scottish aristocracy, Catholicism was illegal until the start of the 19th century. Evidence of Catholic affiliation is limited to two bishops (this grave is very prominent) but the majority of burials are clearly Protestant.<ref>Scottish Notes and Queries April 1906</ref>

The use as a burial ground was terminated in 1934 by the [Medical Officer of Health](/source/Medical_Officer_of_Health) but may still be used for interment of ashes. Only the burial zone within the former church walls survive but the burials originally extended beyond the walls, especially to the south side.<ref name=gos/>

==Notable interments==
*[Bishop John Geddes](/source/John_Geddes_(bishop))
*[Bishop James Grant](/source/James_Grant_(Scottish_bishop))
*[Morley Hutchinson](/source/Morley_Hutchinson) (memorial only)
*Gilbert Menzies, [Lord Provost of Aberdeen](/source/Lord_Provost_of_Aberdeen)
*Prof [William Witte](/source/William_Witte) (memorial only)

==References==
{{reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Snow Kirk}}
Category:Churches in Aberdeen
Category:Cemeteries in Scotland
Category:15th-century church buildings in Scotland
Category:Demolished churches in Scotland

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Snow Kirk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Kirk) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Kirk?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.