Dargie church at Invergowrie has long been associated with the early Christian church, in fact the original site is said to have been a royal point of embarkation at which Alexander I planned to build his palace. situated in Station Road near the Invergowrie Burn, the the ancient Church ruins have been photographed since the birth of photography, built upon a man made mound one can only speculate to the treasures an archealogical dig could uncover about its history.
Dargie Church and The Devil
It seems that Satan had a persistent ill-will to the inhabitants of Invergowrie, local legend tells he was once desirous of coming from Kirkcaldy to the Carse of Gowrie. and carried a lapful of stones, which he meant to use as stepping-stones across the Tay.
As he was stepping over Benarty Hill in Kinross, he stumbled and dropped the boulders that can seen today over in Fife, enraged by the accident the threw three boulders across the river in an attempt to destroy the fledgling church being erected in the Carse of Gowrie, two landed short and fell into the River Tay (The Yowes O’ Gowrie) and one overshot it’s mark and landed in the grounds of the Swallow Hotel.
Darge Church and Bonifacius Queretinus
There are many legends surrounding this ruined church, one story is that it was founded by a pope named Bonifacius Queretinus who was reputedly descended from the sister of St. Andrew and St. Peter, and born at Bethesda, the location of the ruins in Boniface Road seem to reflect a certain truth to this local myth.
Bonifacius Queretinus also seems to be associated with the Christmas legend, it states that Bonifacius encountered a number of Bavarian Druids about to sacrifice a young boy near a sacred Oak tree. When Bonifacius chopped down the tree a tiny evergreen was seen growing behind it. The gathered Druids immediately fell to their knees and hung their lanterns upon it.
The Yowes O’Gowrie
The famous Scottish sage Thomas the Rhymer is credited with having uttered the following prophesy. “When the Yowes O’Gowrie come to land, the day O’ Judgement’s near at hand”.
This is thought to be inspired by the tale of Nechtan, King of Picts who asked a saint to build the church at Invergowrie.
The devil threw 2 boulders at the site which missed the target and landed in the river tay.
