St Munn's Parish Church, Kilmun

St Munn’s Parish Church stands on a low knoll above the Holy Loch on the Cowal Peninsula. The present building dates from 1841 and replaces an older medieval church whose ruined tower still rises to the west. The site has been a place of Christian worship since the 7th century, when the Irish monk St Munn founded a monastic community here. By the 15th century the loch was known as the Holy Loch and the powerful Clan Campbell chose Kilmun as their spiritual home. The church became the burial place of the clan chiefs, beginning with Sir Duncan Campbell in 1453. The church and its adjoining Argyll Mausoleum hold more than six centuries of Campbell history. The mausoleum was commissioned in the late 18th century by the 5th Duke of Argyll to shelter the remains of the dukes, earls and their families. In 1898 the interior of the church was remodelled by Peter McGregor Chalmers, who added carved chancel furniture and new galleries. The building is Category-A listed and contains stained glass by Stephen Adam and Alfred Webster, including a war memorial window. Visitors find a T-shaped sandstone church with a modern bell tower and lancet windows. Inside, Tudor-arched trusses support a flat ceiling, and a water-powered organ from 1909 still plays. The Argyll Mausoleum, attached to the church, holds the graves of most Dukes of Argyll. A modern visitor centre in the vestry offers guided tours on summer afternoons. The ruined medieval tower and the graveyard add layers of history to the site.