OUR LADY of the ASSUMPTION
DUFFTOWN
The Dufftown parish derives from one of the oldest missions in
Banffshire, comprising the Cabrach and its principal Mass-centre at Shenval which 18 th
century priests nicknamed Siberia, and dreaded being sent there.
In 1817 the modern town of Dufftown was laid out by the Earl of Fife
from whom the Rev. George Gordon obtained land on which he erected the present Church in 1825. The Church is in the Gothic style and it is
traditionally believed that Mr. Gordon, who had studied at the Scots College, Valladolid,
in Spain, had modelled the interior of his new Church on the Chapel of the Spanish College
which is known as the" Reliquary Chapel’.
In 1925 the Chancel was enlarged and a new altar and oak reredos,
designed by Mr. Patrick Devlin, installed. The roof once depicted angels playing different
musical instruments, one of the bagpipes. One regrets that this feature has disappeared in
more recent times.
The painting of Our Lady of the Assumption’ which adorns the
Sanctuary, came from the Chapel at Clova, a gift of Mrs. Lumsden.
Mr. George Gordon deserves to be remembered because he gave to the Church in Scotland
its first repertory of Church music, in the two volumes of’ Sacred Music for the use
of Small Choirs ‘,a collection which had a wide circulation in the British Isles and
America.
When in Dufftown, a visit should also be paid to Mortlach Church which is one of
the oldest Churches in Scotland. It claims to have been in regular use as a place of
worship since Moluag, a contemporary of St. Columba, came from Bangor in Ireland to
Mortlach in about 566 A.D.
At one time Mortlach was a Bishopric, but this was transferred to Aberdeen in 1124.
Today this Church, an ancient monument, is used and cared for by the Church of Scotland.
One of the stained glass windows depicts a train in memory of Lord Mount Stephen, a
Dufftown lad, who came to found the Canadian Pacific Railway.
The local Stephen Cottage Hospital is named after him.
OUR LADY of the ASSUMPTION is served from Tomintoul by Rev. C. M. Stewart
SundayMass 9.00 am