St John's Parish ProfilePittenweem,
St John the Evangelist

Pittenweem means "the place of the cave", a reference to St Fillan, a 6th century hermit whose cave remains in the care of St John's. The lower village has a working harbour and modern fish market, alongside many picturesque pantiled cottages clustered around the shore. Most of the shops, the post office, primary school and churches are in the upper village. The high school is one mile away in Anstruther. Pittenweem has a population of about 1700.


The congregation of St John's is drawn from the coastal villages and agricultural hinterland. We have some 35 regular communicants and 60 on the electoral roll. They include people running small businesses in tourism, property management, electro-optics, retail and the arts, academics and published authors, ex-forces and professional people active in voluntary work, a few young families, and those enjoying their retirement. A handful of our members are housebound or resident in care homes.

St John's church is in the centre of Pittenweem, on the site of the 14th century Augustinian priory, of which the Grade 1 listed Gatehouse remains. The Gatehouse is used occasionally by the congregation for lunches and during the summer fete. We have just embarked on a major restoration project to develop its potential as a community resource. The Gate House leads across a garden to the Great House, which is currently the Rectory.

The 19th century church is a beautiful small stone building, which comfortably seats 80 in traditional wooden pews. It is in a good state of repair and has disabled access and toilet. The sanctuary is decorated with fine oak carving from the 1920s by the famous architect Sir Robert Lorimer. There are several 19th century memorial windows, and two windows designed by our organist were added in 2005 to commemorate the church's bicentennial and the life of the community. A state-of-the-art sound system was installed last year.

At our Sunday Eucharist, sung to a setting composed by our organist, we use the 1982 Scottish Liturgy. We sing hymns from Mission Praise, traditional hymns and Taize chants, led by our ad hoc choir and accompanied by our 19th century chamber organ. At major festivals, our worship is enhanced by young musicians from the congregation, and other local musical groups.

Under our present Rector, the church has built up a good relationship with pupils from the local primary school, some of whom have formed a Young Helpers Club to help our senior citizens. The children joined with members of the congregation to go carol singing round the village last Christmas. We have strengthened our links with the local Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church through sharing services on special occasions, such as at Christmas and on the World Day of Prayer. The church is also visible in the community through our annual summer fete, the coffee mornings we host twice a year, and our participation in the Pittenweem Arts Festival which takes every August. During the Festival, the church remains open all day and acts as a concert venue, while the Gatehouse and Great House undercroft are let as galleries to visiting artists.