St. Andrews Cathedral is located right on the shore of the North Sea so the cold northern winds and rains were chilling right to the bones. Many of our photos had rain drops on the camera lens but we were relatively happy with the overall quality of the pictures we took. As you approach this ruin, you can see and feel the history surrounding you. The walls that remained standing today are exquisite in the detail of the medieval architecture.
Religious worship on this sacred location dates back to the first days of Christianity in Scotland. Several churches had been built and subsequently destroyed. While the ruins of the Cathedral remain and provide a wonderful opportunity to explore, the most intact building on the grounds is the St. Rule’s Church Tower built in the 1150’s. Visitors can walk up the 157 very tightly wedged and narrow spiral steps to the top for what would ordinarily be an outstanding view of the city. On this day, however, the overcast clouds detracted from the viewing distance.
St. Andrews Cathedral was built and rebuilt over several centuries, beginning in the late 13th century. History tells us that the front wall actually blew over shortly after its completion around 1280 and that another major reconstruction was necessary after a disastrous fire in 1378. The most astonishing fact about St. Andrews Cathedral that we learned was that it was nearly destroyed during the 16th century Reformation when a rabbel rouser preacher named John Knox incited a riot causing the mod to rush the cathedral to destroy it. What a shame. Much of the additional damages are attributed to the harsh North Sea weather, which many believe swept away artifacts from this historical site. What stands as ruins today on this site is still very remarkable.
During your visit, it is free to walk the grounds and ruins. If you want to go up inside the St. Rule’s Tower or learn more about this period of time in the museum, you will need to buy an admission ticket (approximately £4 or free with the British Heritage Pass). We enjoyed walking through the two large rooms with archaeological artifacts, some of them more than 1200 years old. I especially found the large tombstones very interesting. The carvings on them were very elaborate, many with skull and crossbones in addition to the person being memorialized.