The Light in the North

St Magnus Cathedral has been a symbol of Christian belief and place of worship in Kirkwall, Orkney’s capital, for nearly 900 years and, as Britain’s most northerly Cathedral, is often referred to as “The Light in the North”.

I’m not going to go too much into the history of the Cathedral and the origins of the cult of St Magnus. It’s an intricate and often confusing tale involving the Norse Earl’s of Orkney, ‘martyrdom’ and ‘miracles’, for which the primary source is the Orkneyinga Saga: an intriguing fusion of myth, legend and history written by an unknown Icelandic author a couple of generations later in circa 1200 AD. Suffice it to say that construction began in 1137 by the then Norse Earl of Orkney, Rognvald, nephew to the pious Earl Magnus Erlendsson, who became St Magnus after his murder at the hands of Earl Paul Hakonsson around 20 years earlier.

They say “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and that’s certainly true of St Magnus Cathedral, which took nearly three centuries to complete, with some sections not being added until the late 14th/early 15th century. It’s hardly surprising then that the building is a blend of the earlier Romanesque (or Norman) style and the later Early-Gothic, as architectural fashion changed during such a lengthy construction period. Subsequently, major repair and refurbishment work was carried-out in the 1850’s and again in the first quarter of the 20th century, when much of the present floors, woodwork, windows and spire were installed. Stabilisation work was carried out in the 1970’s and the structural integrity of the building is closely monitored to this day. In 1987, to mark the 850th anniversary of the founding of St Magnus Cathedral, a new stained glass window was installed in the west gable and unveiled by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

I maybe biased, because I love my adopted home of Orkney, but I genuinely think that St Magnus is my favourite of all the Cathedrals I’ve visited. It’s relatively small size (although its still large enough to dominate the skyline) and it’s distinctive, weathered red and yellow sandstone hue, give it a warm and welcoming atmosphere - especially if the Orkney weather outside isn’t playing nice.

Perhaps best of all though, thanks to King James III in 1468, the building itself has ever since belonged to the people of Kirkwall and Orkney. As such, alongside it’s more traditional purpose as a place of worship, weddings, baptisms and funerals, it also takes on the role of a community hub; a venue for the arts and a focal point for civic events…..where all are welcome…..and in an increasingly cynical and divided world, I think that’s something of which the people of Orkney can be rightly proud.