St Magnus Cathedral Orkney

St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands

St Magnus Cathedral

St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands in Scotland is Britain's most northerly cathedral.

The cathedral towers above the town of Kirkwall. — The cathedral towers above the town of Kirkwall

History

Built from local red and yellow sandstone, this impressive church originally dates from 1137. Earl Rögnvald founded the cathedral to honour his uncle St Magnus who was murdered in 1116 in a dispute with his cousin, Håkon.

Magnus Erlendsson had a reputation for kindness and passivity. According to legend he refused to fight on a Viking raid on Anglesey in Wales, preferring to pray and sing psalms on the boat.

A joint earl of Orkney with his cousin Håkon, the two had a disagreement and again, according to the legend, Magnus was killed by a blow to the head with an axe by his cousin's cook. He was first buried at Birsay on the main island of Orkney.

Later Rögnvald Kolsson seized the earldom of Orkney with a promise to build a magnificent church to rehouse the remains of Magnus.

Work began on the building in 1137 and both Magnus and Rögnvald, the pair of whom were canonized, are buried here.

The first bishop was William the Old.

St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands. — St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall

Architecture

The Norman Romanesque cathedral has similarities to Durham Cathedral, possibly due to the fact that English masons who worked at Durham may also have been involved with St Magnus.

The church grew in size from the 12th to 14th centuries. It also escaped comparatively unscathed from the Scottish Reformation of 1560.

Further restoration work continued in the 20th century.

Nearby to the church are the ruins of both the Bishop's Palace, which was built at the same time as the cathedral and the Earl's Palace. Patrick Stewart (1566-1615), the bastard son of King James V of Scotland built the latter using forced labour as he had done in the construction of Scalloway Castle in the Shetland Islands.

Access

The Cathedral Manse
Berstane Road
Kirkwall KW15 1NA

Accommodation

Places to stay on the island include B&B's and holiday homes. Try No 1 Broughton Bed & Breakfast or The Reid Hall. The West End Hotel is also recommended.

See here for a list of accommodation on the Orkney Islands.

Flybe (operated by Loganair) have regular flights to Kirkwall Airport from Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and there are connecting flights from both London Heathrow and London Gatwick. Renting a car is definitely a good way to get the most out of your trip to The Orkney Islands.