Cathedral sights in Scotland
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
St Magnus Cathedral
Founded in 1137 and constructed from local red sandstone, fabulous St Magnus Cathedral is Kirkwall’s centrepiece. The powerful atmosphere of an ancient faith pervades the impressive interior. Lyrical and melodramatic epitaphs of the dead line the walls and emphasise the serious business of 17th- and 18th-century bereavement.
Earl Rognvald Brusason commissioned the cathedral in the name of his martyred uncle, Magnus Erlendsson, who was killed by Earl Hakon Paulsson on Egilsay in 1117. Work began in 1137, but the building is actually the result of 300 years of construction and alteration.
reviewed
-
B
St Machar's Cathedral
The 15th-century St Machar's Cathedral, with its massive twin towers, is a rare example of a fortified cathedral. According to legend, St Machar was ordered to establish a church where the river takes the shape of a bishop's crook, which it does just here. The cathedral is best known for its impressive heraldic ceiling, dating from 1520, which has 48 shields of kings, nobles, archbishops and bishops. Sunday services are held at 11am and 6pm.
reviewed
-
Cathedral of the Isles
The town boasts Britain’s smallest cathedral, the lovely Cathedral of the Isles, which was completed in 1851. Inside it’s quite ornate with a lattice woodwork ceiling and fragments of early Christian carved stones.
reviewed
-
C
St Andrew’s Cathedral
The red-sandstone towers of St Andrew’s Cathedral date from 1869.
reviewed