St Fillan's Cave, situated in Cove
Wynd, Pittenweem, has long been associated with Fillan. The cave has flat rocks that are presumed to have been used as beds, a small spring of "
holy water" at its rear, and a well. The cave was a stopping off point for pilgrims on their way to
St Andrews or the
Ethernan shrine on the
Isle of May. Antiquarian
Robert Sibbald says that in 1100,
Edgar, King of Scotland gave Pittenweem to the
Culdees. Later,
David I of Scotland granted the monks of the
Priory of St. Mary the Virgin on the
Isle of May the manor of Pittenweem, where they erected the Priory of St. Adrian over the ancient cave associated with Saint Fillan. A stairway was built by the monks of the priory from the cave, ending in a vaulted cellar in the Priory grounds. Smugglers also used the cave for some time and as a storeroom for local fisherfolk (Pittenweem has been a fishing village since the time of early
Christian settlement, and later a harbour was constructed). It served as a prison during the witch hunts of the 17th and 18th centuries and was used as a rubbish tip, which probably led to its disappearance for some time. The cave was rediscovered about 1900 when a horse ploughing in the Priory garden fell down a hole into it. It was rededicated as a place of worship by the
Bishop of St. Andrews in 1935. It has since been refurbished and opened to visitors as of October 2000, and is owned by the Bishop Low Trust. It is entrusted to St John's Scottish Episcopal Church in Pittenweem, and is open to the public. Image:Cove Wynd and St Fillan's Cave, Pittenween - geograph.org.uk - 150644.jpg|Cove Wynd and St Fillan's Cave Image:Stfillans_cave_internal_hi.jpg|St Fillan's Cave showing internal structure and altar. ==See also==