Saint Magnus Cathedral

St Magnus Cathedral, built in a Romanesque style from red and yellow sandstone, is of international significance. This ‘fine minster’ took about 300 years to build, the foundations starting in 1137. It was dedicated to Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney. He shared the earldom with his cousin, Haakon Paulsson, but jealousy and greed culminated in Magnus being martyred on the island of Egilsay. The shrine of St Magnus drew pilgrims from all over northern Europe, and the tradition of pilgrimage has been revived in recent times with the opening of the St Magnus Way. St Magnus Cathedral is the only wholly Medieval cathedral in Scotland, and the bones of the saint still lie interred within the pillars of the choir.