Whitekirk - St Mary’s

There has been a simple church on the site since at least the 12th century. After miraculous healings were reported around 1300 after drinking the water from the nearby Mary's Well, the church gained greater importance. In 1413, over 15,000 pilgrims were counted and the Scottish King James I placed the church under his personal protection. He also had housing built for the pilgrims.

The current Gothic church was built in the course of the 15th century. The capacity of the church is clearly too large for the small parish, but it was also intended to be able to accommodate the numerous pilgrims. With the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, the importance of the church declined. The healing well dried up in the 19th century.