St Andrews Cathedral, The Pends St Andrews, Co. Fife
Once the administerial centre of the Scottish Church this once great cathedral is now impressive rubble. But the space covered by the ruins show the immensity of this once magnificent structure and a Cathedral of great antiquity.
St Andrews was the focal point for the Scottish church from the 10th Century up to the reformation of 1560 when the cathedral was stripped and abandoned. Building on the Cathedral started in 1160 but it wasn’t until 1318 that it was consecrated. The sprawling Cathedral complex encompassed St Rules Church, which predates the cathedral, the priory built for Augustinian Canons, which was enclosed within a great precinct wall which leads down to the bay. Its magnificent Pends Gate marks the drive through entrance to the area.
A number of stories surround St Andrew inception in Scotland . The first is that St Rule the guardian of St Andrew’s relics in the fourth century had a vision of the sacking of Constantinople and fled by boat, being eventually ship wrecked off the Fife coast. However its more likely that St Andrew’s relics were brought by the exiled Bishop of Hexham who spent time with the Picts.
Today many fine examples of medieval architecture, influenced by Pictish legend survive salvaged from the ruins. These are housed inside the visitor centre and show that the Cathedral was one of the most wonderfully decorated buildings of its time. A climb up St Rules tower offers fantastic views of the ruins and St Andrews that are well worth the effort.
