Ardchattan and Muckairn is a civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 within Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...

 in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It lies north of Oban

Oban

Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...

, bordering Loch Etive

Loch Etive

Loch Etive is a 30 km sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It reaches the sea at Connel, 5 km north of Oban. It measures 31.6 km in length and from 1.2 km to in width...

 and includes Glen Ure, Glen Creran, Barcaldine, Benderloch

Benderloch

Benderloch is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.Benderloch lies on the A828 road in the coastal area of Appin, Argyll, Scotland. Its railway station closed in 1966.Benderloch forms part of the Lynn of Lorn National Scenic Area, one of 40 in Scotland....

, Connel

Connel

Connel is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is situated on the southern shore of Loch Etive. The Lusragan Burn flows through the village and into the loch....

, Bonawe

Bonawe

Bonawe is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland opposite Taynuilt on the north shore of Loch Etive, most famous for Bonawe Quarry . Bonawe is primarily a linear settlement along on the B845 road and the coast.-Etymology:...

 and Glen Etive

Glen Etive

Glen Etive is a glen in the Highlands of Scotland. The River Etive rises on the peaks surrounding Rannoch Moor, with several tributary streams coming together at the Kings House Hotel, at the head of Glen Coe. From the Kings House, the Etive flows for about 18 km, reaching the sea loch, Loch...

. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 2,443. Its name derives from the 6th-century Irish monk Saint Cathan

Saint Cathan

Saint Cathan, also known as Catan, Cattan, etc., was a 6th-century Irish monk revered as a saint in parts of western Scotland. He appears in the Aberdeen Breviary, Walter Bower's Scotichronicon, and the Acta Sanctorum, and a number of placenames in western Scotland are associated with him...

, combined with the Goidelic element ard-, or "heights".

Its most famous landmark is Ardchattan Priory

Ardchattan Priory

The Ardchattan Priory was a Valliscaulian monastic community in Ardchattan, Argyll, Scotland. It was founded in 1230 by Duncan MacDougal, Lord of Argyll. From the early 14th century, the Prior of Ardchattan held the chantership of Lismore Cathedral. In April 1510 it was incorporated as a cell of...

, founded as a Valliscaulian priory around the year 1230. The priory's ruins and surrounding gardens are now open to the public.

External links

• Priory Ruins
• Priory Artifacts
• The Priory of Ardchattan - Article in the Catholic Encyclopedia
  Catholic Encyclopedia
  The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...