Kirkwall's Viking Church

St. Magnus Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in Scotland and Britain's most northerly cathedral. It is known as the "Light of the North" and was founded in 1137 by the Viking Earl Rognvald Kali Kolsson, to honor his martyred uncle, St. Magnus. The cathedral is set in the heart of Kirkwall, the capitol city of the Orkney Islands, and is a popular venue for church services, weddings, and funerals.

Front of cathedral

Best preserved medieval cathedral in Scotland

Primary burial ground for town for over 800 years

Buildings used two different local sandstones to give the cathedral its striped pattern. The cathedral features a 16th century dungeon. Known as "Marwick's Hole," it's the only cathedral in Britain believed to have a dungeon. There is a chute on the upper floor that allowed prisoners to be dropped into dark holding cells. According to records, people accused of witchcraft were kept in the dudgeon while awaiting trial and execution (1594-1708). In 1919, workers found a hidden cavity in one of the pillars. It contained a box of bones believed to belong to St. Magnus, the cathedral's patron saint.

Contrasting red and yellow sandstone

Gravestones

Another outer door

Chapel