The last cross of the sanctuary

It is said that in the times of Maelrubha, who founded his monastery in Applecross in 673AD, that the area around the monastic settlement became a sanctuary. This meant anyone fleeing persecution would be safe once they were within the boundaries.

Supposedly, there were large stone markers set up around six miles from the church. We know of the location of one of these stones. It was in one of the townships in the south of Applecross but was sadly destroyed in the mid-1800s. The story is told in a book called ‘Social and religious life in the Highlands’. The author, Reverend Kenneth MacDonald, tells that repairs were being carried out on his manse by a stonemason from the Isle of Lewis. This stonemason (An Clachair Leòdhasach) was very religious and very staunchly Protestant.

One day, he saw a priest who served the Catholic Duchess of Leeds come to examine the stone. It seemed like the priest was drawing what was carved on the stone, but the stonemason thought he was worshipping it. Fearing idolatry, he took his hammer to the stone and smashed it to pieces which he then threw into the shore.

Reverend MacDonald was very angry about the vandalism, but the damage was irreparable. Only the stump of this final marker stone remains, and the locations of the others, if there ever were any, are lost in history. Even to this day, the Gaelic name for Applecross is A’ Chomraich. It means… the sanctuary.

More information on visiting the area can be found here.