Press Release
CROWN ESTATE SALE ALLOWS EXPANDED PLANS FOR HISTORIC SEMINARY
2 June 2009
An association devoted to the preservation of an historic Catholic seminary is celebrating the purchase of a building and lease of land connected to the site from The Crown Estate at Glenlivet.
The Scalan Association has purchased a cottage that was once part of the seminary and arranged a long-lease of surrounding acreage to further protect and enhance an historic seminary and its surroundings at the Scalan in the Braes of Glenlivet on the Glenlivet estate.
The seminary has long been a place of pilgrimage for many, and attracts visitors from all over the world because of its importance to the Catholic church in Scotland. The association has carried out renovations to the seminary building in recent years and has been keen to secure ownership of the cottage and management of the wider site to allow future improvements to be carried out.
To mark the transfer of ownership an open air celebratory Mass was held at the Scalan on Tuesday, June 2 at midday. Principal concelebrant will be Cardinal O’Brien, and the local Bishop, Bishop Peter Moran of Aberdeen will also attend. The sermon will be given by Canon Brian Halloran, president of the Scalan Association.
Andrew Wells, Head of Countryside Management – Rural Estates said: “The Scalan is one of the most important heritage sites on the Glenlivet estate and The Crown Estate is very pleased to have helped to secure the long-term management of the site in partnership with the Scalan Association. The new arrangements will enable further enhancements to be carried out which will help raise awareness of the Scalan as a significant attraction for visitors coming to Glenlivet and the Cairngorms National Park.”
The Scalan Association president, Very Reverend Canon Brian Halloran said: “The Scalan Association is very pleased to acquire the old dwelling of Sandy Matthieson which was once part of the kitchen wing of the college. Sandy was a faithful guardian and protector of the old seminary. The lease of the surrounding area has enabled us to fence the area to prevent possible damage from livestock and the developments should help us to promote pilgrimage to the old seminary of Scalan.”
The Scalan Association was formed by three priests in 1948 to care for the seminary building, dating from the late 1700s, along with the ruins of an earlier chapel and the clear water Bishop's Well. Set in the midst of farmland, the association is interested in using the newly purchased cottage, and additional leasehold, to further develop pilgrimages to the site and expand provision for visitors.
Scalan was named after the turf shielings (Gaelic ‘sgalan’) found in the Braes. The college trained more than 100 priests between 1716 to 1799, and played a vital role in keeping the traditional faith alive in northern Scotland. The original turf building was raided by troops in 1726. A new building of lime and stone, erected in 1738, was burnt by Hanoverian troops after the battle of Culloden in 1746. It was re-roofed and served as a seminary until the college was relocated across the Crombie water on its present site in 1767. There is no trace of the older seminary buildings but they were close to the site of the Bishop's Well which is tucked into the bank beside the burn – a welcome source of clear spring water on a hot day.
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