The Cathedral, St Andrews

Visitor information
St Andrews

 

St Andrews Cathedral and St Rule's Tower

Legend has it that St Rule was shipwrecked near the Culdee settlement of Kilrymont on the Fife coast. He had with him the relics of St Andrew who had been crucified in Greece. St Rule founded a Christian Church at Kilrymont and eventually the settlement adopted the name of the church, St Andrews. The cathedral was founded in 1161 and the nearby St Rules Church was built around 1130. The top of the church tower can be reached by a spiral staircase and it affords a superb view over the town.
 

   St Andrews cathedral and St Rules tower

  Consecrated in 1318 in the presence of Robert the Bruce, the building of St Andrews Cathedral established St Andrews as the ecclesiastical centre of Scotland and a major centre of pilgrimage. It stands within the old city wall at the east end of St Andrews and was by far the largest cathedral in Scotland and one of the longest in Britain with a 14-bay nave, five-bay choir and an internal length of 357 feet (109 m).
Established as an Augustinian foundation and used for over three centuries, the Cathedral was eventually destroyed by Protestant fanatics in 1559 during the Reformation. In its churchyard are the graves of many famous Scots including the sociologist Adam Ferguson, the publisher Robert Chambers and the championship golfer Tommy Morris.  
     
     

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