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Stobo Kirk is one of the oldest standing churches in Scotland and offers a fascinating history combined with a truly beautiful interior.
Much of the church you see today at Stobo can be dated back to around 1120, though as the tower and nave are on slightly different alignments, they may have been built in different phases. The story of the church actually goes back much further, to the late 500s. The first church is said to have been founded here by St Kentigern, possibly during his tenure as Archbishop of Strathclyde from 585. Kentigern was known to have used Stobo as a place of retreat and part of a very ancient altar stone can be seen in the kirk. A second part of the altar stone has been found a little further down the road towards Drumelzier.
The most compelling legend from this era is that Kentigern met Merlin here and converted him to Christianity and baptised him at a spot near Stobo, although another (perhaps more likely) version suggests that they debated then went their separate ways. The story goes that Merlin, (one of two historical figures who were later combined to form the Merlin in the Arthurian legend), had been living in the forests that covered the area since the defeat of the army of Gwenddoleu by the King of Strathclyde in 573. This event is depicted in a stained glass window in the church. Another version has the encounter between the two men taking place at Merlin’s cave on Hartfell further to the south. It is clear from the annals that the two men were contemporary and were leading political figures in the struggle between a strong Christian insurgency and an existing Druidic orthodoxy.
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