Elgin Cathedral

Elgin Cathedral stands in the town of Elgin in Moray, northeast Scotland. Built in 1224 on land given by King Alexander II, it replaced an earlier cathedral three kilometres north at Spynie. At first it had eight clerics, but by 1242 the number of canons had grown to 23. By the 13th century it was praised as the ornament of the realm and the glory of the kingdom. After a fire in 1270 it was rebuilt on a grander scale, and again after Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch, attacked it in 1390. The cathedral’s west front has twin towers, a fine choir and presbytery, and an octagonal chapter house. The cathedral was once the second-largest in Scotland, after St Andrews. By 1560 it had 25 canons, but after the Reformation its congregation moved to St Giles parish church. In 1567 the Privy Council ordered the lead roof to be removed to pay for the army, leaving the interior exposed. The choir roof collapsed in 1637 and the central tower fell in 1711, destroying much of the nave. From the early 19th century conservation and refurbishment have continued into the late 20th century, with ongoing stabilisation today. Despite its ruined state, much of the 13th-century west front and the 15th-century chapter house remain. Visitors find extensive collections of medieval stone carvings and a 9th-century Pictish cross-slab found nearby. The site is managed as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland and is a major attraction. The surviving architecture still shows the cathedral’s former scale and craftsmanship.