St Andrews Cathedral (Abolished)

St Andrews Cathedral (Abolished)

Philosophy

Although now a mere shadow of its former self, this ruined Roman Catholic cathedral, located in St Andrews, Fife, was built in 1158 as the largest church ever to been constructed in Scotland during its time. Construction went on for over a century. As the headquarters of the Scottish Medieval Catholic Church, the cathedral served as the seat of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and the Bishops and Archbishops of St Andrews. According to legend, St Regulus, also known as St Rule, is responsible for delivering St Andrew’s relics to this pocket of Scotland from Patras, Greece. Operations continued as normal until 1559 when the Scottish Reformation resulted in the abolition of Catholic Mass, which then led to the ransacking of the cathedral. Eventually, the place was subjected to abandonment in 1561, causing it to fall into a derelict state of decay. By the late 16th century, chunks of the leftover ruins were whisked away from the site following the collapse of the centre tower and the north wall. In 1826, the ruins finally received adequate attention. Today, St Andrews Cathedral is in the custody of Historic Scotland and open for endless exploration along with a museum.

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