A former Aberdeenshire church could be brought back to life as an artist’s studio.
Banchory-Devenick Church was put on the market by the Church of Scotland last year for offers of around £100,000, and was snapped up by Aberdeen couple Judy Ferguson and Didier Altmeyer.
Now the pair hope to preserve the 19th century B-listed building by giving it a new lease of life as a studio for Mr Altmeyer.
They have submitted a change of use application with Aberdeenshire Council, and are also seeking permission to remove the church pews.
Ms Ferguson said: “This is not a commercial venture. We are not looking to make this into a house or small rooms – we want to keep the space.
“Banchory-Devenick has a huge history and we are really interested in that and want to guard it.
“Didier’s idea is to paint on big canvasses and be inspired by Scotland.”
She added that the unusual venue could inspire others to think of ways to promote culture and the artistic talents on offer in the region.
“There is a huge amount of money in Aberdeen, but we are not capitalising on that and bringing culture to Aberdeen,” she said.
“Things go to Edinburgh or Glasgow, why can’t Aberdeen become this cultural centre as well?”
The council’s planning team will consider the application in the coming weeks.