St. Magnus Cathedral

Notes from a North Sea Island

The building of St. Magnus Cathedral was started in Kirkwall in 1137 by the Norse Earl Rognvald. He had been granted half of the Earldom of Orkney by the King of Norway and came to Orkney with the express intention of reclaiming rights lost by his uncle, Earl Magnus of Orkney: and to build a "church of stone" to celebrate his uncle's Sainthood.

The real story of the Cathedral therefore begins with Earl Magnus. In 1117 he and his cousin, Hakon, were the joint Earls of Orkney, but there was considerable enmity between their followers. It was agreed that the two would meet to resolve their differences, each bringing only two ships, on the island of Egilsay.

Magnus had already gained a reputation for piety and gentleness, having declined to carry arms during a raid on the Welsh some years before. He arrived for the meeting on Egilsay on 16 April 1117 with his two ships, but Hakon then arrived with eight.

The Ceiling
Hakon ordered his cook, Lifolf to kill Magnus after others in his party had refused to do so. Lifolf killed Magnus with an axe blow to the head. He was buried in the Norse church at Birsay and 16 April quickly became established as St Magnus day by popular acclaim. So when Earl Rognvald came to Orkney twenty years later it was to reclaim his half of the Earldom from Hakon's son.

This he did, and he also built his "church of stone". What you see today is the result of near continuous work over the following 875 years. But much of the glory is owed to the original vision that built the church 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 add greatly to the overall effect.

The Nave