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St Magnus Cathedral
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The Founding Story  | In the early 12th century the Norse Earldom of Orkney had the misfortune to be governed by the sons of the two brother Earls, Paul and Erlend. Where the brothers had shared the rule of the Earldom peaceably, the two first cousins, Hakon Paulson and Magnus Erlendson did not, and the differences between them widened as time went on, and both cousins attracted followers who enjoyed causing trouble between the Earls. | St Magnus Cathedral - View from Broad Street | |
| Magnus was said to be the more popular of the two, a man of peace and great authority, while Hakon was known to be warlike and envious of the popularity of his cousin. Matters between the cousins reached a crisis in the year 1116 or 1117, and well-meaning friends of the two Earls sought to bring them together by arranging a meeting in the Easter of that year, on the island of Egilsay. Each Earl was to bring two ships and a limited number of men, and both agreed to this. | | As Earl Magnus crossed to the island, a great wave appeared out of deep sea and crashed down on the stern of the ship. This was seen as a bad omen, though Magnus carried on. And when Earl Hakon was seen to have landed a large force of fully-armed men from eight longships, Earl Magnus refused to allow his men to defend him from his cousin and sought to settle matters in a friendly way, and prayed to God for help in this. | | Earl Magnus made three offers to his cousin, rather than have Hakon suffer the guilt of killing him. He offered to go on pilgrimage to Rome or Jerusalem, and never return to Orkney. Hakon refused. Magnus then offered to be held in imprisonment for the rest of his life. Hakon refused. Magnus then said that Hakon could blind him, or maim him, and cast him into a dungeon. And Hakon accepted this, but then the followers of both men became angry, and said that one of them must die. | | Magnus was killed by Hakon's cook, ordered to do this because no one else would. He was buried on Egilsay and later at Birsay, where miracles of healing were experienced about his tomb. |
| In the meantime, his nephew Rognvald sought to regain the Earldom for the family by subterfuge and force, from Norway. Failing on his first attempt, it was then suggested that he seek other help in this enterprise, that of his saintly martyred uncle, Earl Magnus. Rognvald then vowed to build a great stone church to the memory of his uncle. His next attempt met with success, and he became sole Earl of Orkney, having deposed Earl Paul Hakonsson, the son of Hakon Paulsson. Earl Magnus was made into a saint in the early 1130's |  | | | St Magnus Cathedral - View from Palace Road |
Building The Cathedral  | Work began on the Cathedral in 1137. The style was Romanesque or Norman, though some early Gothic was included. This 12th century work saw the crossing, the choir, the transepts, and some two thirds of the nave completed. There was probably an earlier front to the building, and the east end finished in an apse. The early 13th century saw the extension of the building to the east and the building of the present lower front, which probably stood alone until joined to the rest of the building in the late 14th century. | Cathedral Interior | |
Worship and Ownership | The style of worship was Norwegian Catholic, soon to become Norwegian Roman Catholic, when the Cathedral came under the control of Trondheim Cathedral. When Orkney became part of Scotland in the mid 15th century, the Scottish Roman Catholic Church took over the use of the building. In 1486, the Cathedral was given into the care of the people of Kirkwall by James III of Scotland. After the Scottish Reformation of 1560, the religious use of the building became Protestant, though bishops remained until 1688. The Scottish Presbyterian style of Protestantism has been used since then, though other styles of Christianity may, in theory, also use the building. | | Finally... | | St Magnus Cathedral is the most important building in Kirkwall and is still a regular church, though also used for suitable concert and other events. It is run on behalf of the Orcadian people by Orkney Islands Council. Visiting times are from 0900-1800 weekdays and 1400-1800 Sundays, April-September, and 0900-1300 and 1400-1700 weekdays from October-March. The Sunday service begins at 11:15. |
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