St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall

The St Magnus Way runs for 51 miles across the sacred landscapes of Orkney, ending at the saint’s own intact shrine, found in Kirkwall’s incomparably beautiful cathedral

Highlights

• Relics of St Magnus and St Rognvald
• Magnificent Norman cathedral church

This is the only cathedral church in Britain with both patron saint and founder saint still in identifiable shrines. The tombs of St Magnus and St Rognvald are just about the only thing that is not on a grand scale in this magnificent Norman building, but their modest shrines can still be seen if you know where to look. They are marked only by two small crosses, carved into the pillars on either side of the main altar table, at the far end of the choir stalls. The niches are about 3m above the ground, their identities recorded on two small brass plaques at eye level.

The relics are generally thought to be authentic, having been discovered hidden in these pillars in the 19th and 20th centuries. St Rognvald, an earl of Orkney, built the cathedral in 1137. It was designed as a monument to his uncle, St Magnus Erlendsson, also an earl, who was killed on the nearby island of Egilsay in 1116 or 1117 (see previous page). The relics of St Magnus were discovered in 1919, hidden in a wooden box in the niche where they still lie. They were examined and photographed before being replaced. A picture of the relics is reproduced in the cathedral guide, clearly showing wounds to the skull consistent with some accounts of the saint’s death.

The church is built in the Romanesque style, using contrasting colours of red and yellow sandstone. It is managed by the local council on behalf of the people of Orkney, used mainly by the Church of Scotland but also available to other traditions. It is also no longer technically a cathedral, since the Church of Scotland has no bishops. As parish churches go, its relics and its architecture put it in a league of its own. Only Beverley Minster in East Yorkshire can compare, with a different sort of grandeur.

It is the cathedral’s overall impact that leaves the strongest impression, the arcades in the nave a particular highlight with their elegant Romanesque arches. The interior is relatively unadorned but has some fine modern carving, particularly in the St Rognvald Chapel at the far end of the building. The natural colour of the wood complements the bare stone. A statue of St Olaf is displayed here, donated by the Church of Norway in 1937. It is a reminder that the cathedral’s two saints were of Scandinavian descent, though they made Orkney their home.

A memorial in the north choir aisle records the death of 833 sailors on the HMS Royal Oak, who were drowned in Scapa Flow in October 1939. The ship’s bell was recovered from the ocean and hangs above a plaque. A stained glass window of St Magnus, created in the 1920s, can be seen in the north transept.

St Magnus was famous as a man of prayer as much as politics. Miracles occurred by his rough grave on Egilsay, and he was soon moved into a church on the Orkney mainland at Birsay. He was canonised in 1135, and his saint’s day is 16 April, the day of his death. His nephew St Rognvald vowed to build a stone church “so that there be not any more magnificent in the land; and let it be dedicated to St Magnus and to it may be brought his relics,” records the Orkneyinga Saga, a chronicle of the islands compiled around 1230. St Magnus’ body was moved into the cathedral later in the 12th century.

St Rognvald too was murdered by a rival, at Calder in Caithness on the Scottish mainland in 1158. His body was brought to lie with his uncle in their cathedral shrine. He was recognised as a saint in 1192, and is remembered on 20 August. His relics had already been uncovered in the 19th century during building work and the site of his shrine marked. The two niches in the pillars exactly mirror each other, so the church might have had an inkling that St Magnus lay hidden on the other side.

The Orkney Museum, opposite the cathedral, has some important relics from the saints’ veneration, including a 14th-century statue of St Magnus. It also has the wooden box in which the saint’s relics were discovered in 1919. The cathedral can be seen from miles away, thanks in part to the scarcity of trees on Orkney. It has a particularly good guide and was full of visitors when I came. I would put it first on my list of pilgrimage destinations in Britain, Orkney blessed and blessed again by so many layers of ritual woven into its landscape.

And indeed a new pilgrimage walk across the island was launched to mark the 900th anniversary of its saint’s death in 2017. I came back to the cathedral to give a talk near the saint’s shrine, the greatest honour a holy place can bestow. If any further encouragement is needed to visit, this is one of the best preserved Norman cathedrals in Britain, equal to any in the country. Even the Reformation restructuring has done little to disguise the faith encapsulated by its gorgeously warm and rounded stone walls. It looks and feels human.

Birsay, St Magnus Kirk

The original site of St Magnus’ burial is thought to be where Birsay’s kirk now stands. At first glance the grey pebble-dashed building looks an unlikely setting for an ancient shrine. But there are blocks of red sandstone lying around the church that date from the original structure, built in 1064 by Earl Thorfinn. The church was originally called Christ’s Kirk and became the temporary home for the relics of St Magnus. His body was brought here soon after his death on Egilsay Island for a church burial.

The people considered him a saint from the outset, but Bishop William who served here was initially unconvinced. He was struck blind as punishment for his scepticism, only recovering his sight after praying at the earl’s tomb. Much chastened, he agreed to the canonisation of St Magnus in 1135. St Magnus’ relics were moved to the cathedral in Kirkwall at an unknown date later in the 12th century. The church at Birsay still remembers its link to Orkney’s patron. It was referred to as both Christ’s Kirk and St Magnus Kirk until finally settling on the latter in the 20th century.

A stained-glass window shows two scenes of the saint, praying at the Battle of Anglesey in 1098 when he refused to fight, and also praying in Birsay’s kirk itself, a building he no doubt visited during his lifetime. There is also a blocked-up medieval window visible from the path to the church door, on the south side of the building, dating from the 13th century. The inscription ‘---S BELLUS’ is a later addition, referring to the bishop’s residence Mons Bellus that used to stand nearby. The ruins of a grand palace over the road are from the 16th century, the home of an earl.

Near Kirkwall

An amazing little chapel built by Italian prisoners during the second world war can still be seen on Lambholm island 7 miles south of Kirkwall. It is connected to the main island by a causeway in the Scapa Flow area. Known simply as the Italian Chapel, it is constructed out of two Nissen huts placed end to end.

The interior was decorated with an extraordinary illusion of Italianate church architecture by Domenico Chiocchetti, a prisoner touched by creative genius. He even built a statue of St George out of barbed wire and cement, still displayed outside the church. Chiocchetti returned to his masterpiece in 1960 to help restore it. He died in Italy in 1999, aged 89 years.

Directions

St Magnus Cathedral, Broad Street (A960), Kirkwall KW15 1PA

www.stmagnus.org

Orkney Museum, Tankerness House, Broad Street, Kirkwall KW15 1DH

W3W: shark.tricky.snowstorm

GPS: 58.9814N 2.9603W

The cathedral church is open every day (apart from Sundays from 1 Oct–31 Mar). It is in the centre of Kirkwall, admission free other than voluntary donations. Orkney Museum is opposite the cathedral entrance. It is open Mon–Sat throughout the year, tel: 01856 873535 or website: www.orkney.gov.uk (click service directory then search: Orkney Museum).

St Magnus Kirk in Birsay is also kept open. It is in the care of a trust, with details online at www.birsay.org.uk. The church is beside the A966 opposite the prominent Earl’s palace ruins, postcode: KW17 2LX. It is 6 miles north of the famous Iron Age village at Skara Brae.

The Italian Chapel is on Lambholm island, just off the A961 road. It is open daily, tickets £3, free for under 12s; search orkney.com for full details.