The Snow Kirk

Hidden in the heart of the University of Aberdeen’s King’s College campus, the Snow Kirk is a former church, of which now just the cemetery remains. Originally the parish church of Old Aberdeen, its name derives from Rome and the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore (or Sancta Maria Maggiore ad Nives – Saint Mary of the Snows). In 1499, the Snow Kirk’s congregation was merged with that of St Machar’s, effectively losing its function as a parish church. Reports as to the fate of the Snow Kirk after the Reformation are mixed, with some suggesting it was demolished, and others reporting it survived. What we do know is that the church no longer stands, leaving just graves of local gentry.