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St John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, Pittenweem

5 September 2026 (10:00 - 16:00)

6 September 2026 (10:00 - 16:00)

East Fife

In Person

Explore this 19th century Episcopal church, one of the first to be built after the ban on Episcopalian worship was rescinded in the late 1700s.

St John the Evangelist Scottish Episcopal Church is in the centre of Pittenweem, on the site of the14thC Augustinian priory. The building which serves as the Rectory, and which was part of the Priory, has been described as “one of Scotland’s best preserved late mediaeval houses”.

Before the church was built, there was an Episcopalian congregation in Pittenweem which met more or less clandestinely on account of the Penal Laws passed against the Church in punishment for its Jacobite sympathies.

St John's was built as a chapel in 1805 but has been enlarged and beautified on several occasions since then, notably by Robert Lorimer, of Kellie Castle, who added wooden panelling, a carved wooden pulpit, and carved angels on the Communion Rail. The stained glass is from Victorian, Arts and Crafts and Contemporary eras, and on sunny days the gold pipes on the small organ shine.

The congregation also has care of St. Fillan’s Cave on Cove Wynd, which has been used for a variety of purposes over the years. Before the Reformation it was a place of devotion to St. Mary Magdalene and the small pool in the Cave was known as the “fontem Marie Magdalene”. The Cave has had a stone altar added and was consecrated for worship by the Bishop of St. Andrews in 1935. Today, it is regularly used for Services and is often visited by groups of pilgrims and tourists.

For Doors Open Days the cave is being especially opened for visitors to St John's to explore and enjoy, but the cave floor is uneven and may be slippery, so caution is required.

Then pick up a self-guide leaflet, go outside past the Quiet Garden and 15thC Gatehouse to the precinct of the Ancient Priory of Pittenweem; on Doors Open Days you may enter the courtyard and get a close-up view of the Priory buildings from there.

In the Quiet Garden behind the church there are two benches. This is an ideal area to contemplate and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of this beautiful location. (Weather dependent)