St Vigeans

St Vigeans is a small village and parish in Angus, Scotland, immediately to the north of Arbroath. Originally rural, it is now more or less a suburb of the town of Arbroath. The name St Vigeans is derived from Vigeanus, a Latinised form of the Old Irish name Féichín. Saint Feichin flourished in the 7th century. There is no record of his having visited what is now Scotland, but followers of his cult may have founded a monastery among the Picts at St Vigeans as early as the 8th century. This is shown by the unusual dedication, and especially by the collection of more than thirty elaborately carved stones preserved in the St Vigeans Sculptured Stones Museum (converted from an old cottage) in the village (Historic Scotland; key from Arbroath Abbey visitor centre). The collection includes cross-slabs, some with Pictish symbols, cross fragments, recumbents, and architectural fragments. It is one of the largest and finest in Scotland of its period, and includes stonework dating from the 8th-12th centuries. Most of the stones were recovered from the parish church, into whose walls they had been incorporated as building rubble during the Middle Ages, during 19th century 'restoration' work. Further fragments remain in the church's walls.