St Magnus Cathedral

St Magnus Cathedral was started in Kirkwall in 1137 by the Norse Earl Rognvald. He decided to built the church of stone. What you see today is the result of continuous hard work over the following 875 years. However much of the glory is owed to the original vision that was built from using red sandstone quarried near Kirkwall and yellow sandstone from the island of Eday. These were often used in alternating courses or in a chequerboard pattern and added to the beauty of the building. St Magnus was murdered on the 16th of April 1117 so when the Cathedral was completed St Magnus's remains were brought hear from Birsay and interred in a column. In 1919 during extensive restoration work a skeleton was found behind stonework whose skull carried a wound consistent with the axe-blow said to have killed Magnus.

At the present time the Cathedral is still as beautiful as ever, there has just been restoration work on the tower and all Orkadians celebrate St Magnuse's death on the 16th of April.