A COMMUNITY has been left in shock after a historic Glasgow church was forced to close under merger plans.

Govan Old Parish Church, which was built in 1888, is part of a site of religious worship which dates back to the sixth century.

The medieval religious relics housed there predate Glasgow Cathedral and are as culturally significant as artefacts at St Andrews and on the holy isle of Iona.

But the Church of Scotland has decided the church building will no longer be used as a place of worship under plans to amalgamate three Govan parishes.

Linthouse St Kenneth's Church will also close its doors and all parishioners will move to New Govan Church.

The minister of Govan Old Church, the Rev Norman Shanks, described the church as a "national treasure" that was "internationally known".

He added: "I am trying to support the congregation through all this.

"Families have been coming here for generations and they see themselves not just as worshippers but as custodians of everything that is here.

"There are a lot of wounded feelings at the moment. People are in shock, they are angry but they have been remarkably gracious."

But Mr Shanks urged parishioners to remain positive about what the future held and believed the A-listed building could form the centrepiece of a major historical tourist attraction.

"It will close as the principal church of worship on Sunday mornings and it will be up to the new kirk session to decide what happens to the building.

"Govan Old is a national treasure and it is conceivable a solution will be found to keep the building open for a number of purposes including worship.

"There have been services held here since 1888 and there is no reason why it could not have a future as a national tourist attraction.

"It could be a community facility, a meeting place, a performance venue. Govan is changing with the BBC at one end and the new Southern General Hospital at the other.

"Within the new Govan there is an action plan for a conservation area and the church could easily be a feature of that."

Dr Stephen Driscoll, professor of archaeology at Glasgow University, said the decision to close Old Govan - made by the Kirk's arbitration committee - was "extraordinary".

And an ex-minister of the church, the Rev Tom Davidson Kelly, said: "I can think of no country in Europe where a church community would willingly give up a sixth century place of burial, worship and service." Govan landmark's important past

THE site of Govan Old Church is thought to have housed a sixth century monastery built by St Constantine.

It contains a collection of early medieval carved stones indicating a thriving religious settlement.

At the time Dumbarton was the ancient capital of Strathclyde and there is a belief that the Govan site was its spiritual centre.

The first parish church was built in 1136 and there has been a church building on the site ever since.

It is best known for the 31 highly decorated sculptured stones from the 9th and 10th centuries.

They include a stone sarcophagus, a "cuddy stane" depicting a man on horseback and the "sun stone" with carvings of a horseman playing pipes and the sun with its rays radiating clockwise.

There are also five Hogback stones, originally used as grave markers, which suggest Viking settlement in the 10th century.