Religion

St.Andrews was a religious centre both before and during the Reformation. Visitors can see the massive structure of the Cathedral to the East of the Burgh. This was the largest Cathedral in Western Europe and the centuries of construction are evident in the differing styles of architecture in its huge arches. Within its grounds is the square St.Rule's Tower and a steep climb up its narrow winding stairs reveals a breathtaking panoramic view of St.Andrews. The medieval evidence is immediately clear with the main streets, North Street, Market Street and South Street, not in parallel but converging on the Cathedral as the focal point. In the foreground is St.Mary's College, part of the University and the theological college for the training of Protestant Ministers - a contrast to the Catholic Cathedral - and to the North the ruins of the Castle around which centred the physical enmity between Catholics and Protestants at the time of the Reformation.

Religion - in detail

Christianity came to Scotland around 565 AD, when St Columba and his followers were forced out of Ireland and settled on Iona. In 710, Nechtan, King of the Picts took up Christianity and the Roman rite became the official religion through most of Scotland.

Amongst the earliest holy men in St Andrews were the Culdees, Celtic speaking men who nominally belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. The name comes from from céli dé, companions of God. They were a loose group of non-celibate clergy and were probably established in the early part of the ninth century.

Tradition has it that the first church was set on the Lady's Craig Rock. This is at the end of the present pier, but nature obliged the Culdees to rebuild it on the headland above. This church developed into Blessed Mary of the Rock, the ruins of which can still be seen. The Culdees had a long and history in St Andrews with their members holding important positions. However, as the power of King and Clergy grew in feudal Scotland, the influence of the Culdees waned.

747 AD, when the relics of St.Andrew were brought to the Town, is recognised as the origins of what was to become the modern St.Andrews. There are two legends of the bringing of the relics of St Andrew to the town. They are about St Rule, or St Regulus, who brought relics of the Apostle to Cennrigmonaid, or Kilrymont. The legends have St Rule establishing an area of consecrated ground, probably at modern Kirkhill, marked out with twelve crosses. This became the resting place for the relics. Whether Rule was a monkish invention, we will never know. There is no doubt that relics claimed to be of St Andrew were present at Kilrymont. This was the reason for the establishment of the place we now call St Andrews as a major religious centre, a major centre for pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages.

The traditional land endowment of the monastery at Kilrymont included the Cursus Apri Regalis - "the run of the royal wild boar". This was exercised south from St Andrews in land to where Boarhills stands today. The wild boar became, with St Andrew, an emblem of St Andrews. It survives today in the Coat of Arms of the Community Council, which forms the background to our pages.

A church was built for the Culdees at St Andrews before 877 by Constantine II. Constantine III became Abbot of the Culdees and died amongst them in St Andrews in 952.

906 saw St Andrews becoming the seat of the Bishop of Alba (Scotland in Gaelic). By 975 the diocese of St Andrews ran from the Forth to the Tweed and the Bishop of St Andrews became the senior bishop in Scotland.

The Normans invaded England in 1066. In 1071 Queen Margaret escaped across the River Forth, from the Norman forces of William the Conqueror. In gratitude she thereafter granted free passage by "Queens ferry" to pilgrims to St. Andrews. Modern Queensferry is the site of the Forth Bridge and the later Forth Road Bridge which replaced the ferries. Norman rule came peacefully to Scotland when Malcolm III (1058 - 93) surrendered to William the Conqueror within the shadow of the round tower of Abernethy in 1072. During the latter years of Malcolm's reign a new church was built at St Andrews. The tower of this church survives as St Rule's Tower. The church was enlarged at least three times. The final rebuilding took place in the period of Prior William de Lothian (1340 - 1354).

St Rule's church was much smaller than the Cathedral ruins we see today. The Cathedral was begun by Bishop Arnold in 1161, about the same time that the name of St Andrews was established. Until relatively recently the Cathedral was the largest building ever built in Scotland. It probably contained the largest collection of medieval art in Scotland.

The Cathedral remains we see today are the work of many centuries. The first Cathedral was over 320 ft in length and 168 feet across. Later this was extended to over 391 ft, making it the longest church in Britain except for Norwich. In 1230 the building was usable as a Cathedral and priory church, 69 years after building commenced. By the time of Bishop William Wishart (1271 -79) the Cathedral was well towards completion. The west gable was blown down in a storm shortly after completion. It was decided to rebuild the new gable shorter which allowed a porch to be built at the western end. The Cathedral was consecrated in the presence of Robert the Bruce on 5th July 1318. He allegedly rode his horse up the central aisle. In 1378 a great fire consumed the Cathedral. This required repairs to the choir and transepts. In 1409 the south transept fell down in a storm. In 1413 St. Leonard's Chapel was built as a parish church.

The Cathedral was a centre of pilgrimage. from the south people crossed the Forth at Queensferry and made their way to Cupar and then to St Andrews via Guardbridge. Hostels placed along the route catered for the tourist industry. They came to atone for their sins and seek a cure for their illness. Many came because they had promised to make such a pilgrimage if their payers were answered. Thousands of pilgrims came each year to worship at the shrine of the relics. St Andrew of Bethsaida in Galilee, Apostle and Martyr, was made Patron Saint of Scotland.

St Andrews was closely involved in the events of the Reformation. This led to the desecration and neglect of the Cathedral. The Reformation was a time of great trouble in St Andrews. Martyrs were burnt at the stake for heresy; including Patrick Hamilton (Feb. 1527) and Henry Forest (1533), burnt on the north side of the Cathedral so that people in Forfarshire could see the flames. George Wishart was next and then in April 1558, Walter Myln. These martyrs are commemorated in the Martyrs Monument, overlooking the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

The end of the Cathedral came in 1559. This was co-ordinated to their advantage by the Protestant nobles who occupied St Andrews at the time. From the 11th to the 14th June 1559 John Knox preached in Holy Trinity Church. Hardly had he finished speaking than a mob, sacks at the ready, made for the Cathedral "to purge the kirk and break down the altars and images and all kind of idolatrie...". The buildings were left intact, but four hundred years of continuous worship came to an end. The Cathedral then became a source of building materials. The ruins were used as a kind of quarry right up to the 1750s. Despite this the ruins of the Cathedral, remain a consecrated site.

This site is under construction.