Fortrose Cathedral was the

episcopal seat A cathedral is a church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations with an episcop ...

(''cathedra'') of the

medieval Scottish Scotland in the Middle Ages concerns the history of Scotland from the departure of the Romans to the adoption of major aspects of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. From the fifth century northern Britain was divided into a serie ...

diocese of Ross in the Highland region of Scotland near the city of Inverness. It is probable that the original site of the diocese was at

Rosemarkie Rosemarkie (, from meaning "promontory of the horse stream") is a village on the south coast of the Black Isle peninsula in Ross-shire (Ross and Cromarty), northern Scotland. Geography Rosemarkie lies a quarter of a mile east of the town of ...

, but by the 13th century the

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

s had relocated a short distance to the south-west, to the site known as

Fortrose Fortrose is a town and former royal burgh on the Black Isle in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland, about northeast of Inverness. The town is known for its ruined 13th-century Fortrose Cathedral, cathedral, and as ...

Chanonry Chanonry Point (Scottish Gaelic: ''Rubha na Cananaich'') lies at the end of Chanonry Ness, a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between Fortrose and Rosemarkie on the Black Isle, Scotland. Lighthouse An active lighthouse situated at ...

. According to

Gervase of Canterbury Gervase of Canterbury (; Latin: Gervasus Cantuariensis or Gervasius Dorobornensis) (c. 1141 – c. 1210) was an English chronicler. Life If Gervase's brother Thomas, who like himself was a monk of Christ Church, Canterbury, was Thomas of M ...

, in the early 13th century the cathedral of Ross was manned by ''

Céli Dé The Culdees (; ) were members of ascetic Christian monastic and eremitical communities of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England in the Middle Ages. Appearing first in Ireland and then in Scotland, subsequently attached to cathedral or collegiate ...

'' (culdees).

Chapter and prebends

The cathedral had twenty-one

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir ...

s involving the income of thirty-one churches. After the reconstruction of the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

in the 1250s, the bishop of Ross held Nigg and

Tarbat Tarbat (, meaning 'a crossing or isthmus'Place-names of Ross and Cromarty, by W J Watson, publ. The Northern Counties Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd., Inverness 1904; p.45) is a civil parish in Highland, Scotland, in the north-east corner of Ros ...

, the archdeacon of Ross

Fodderty Fodderty () is a small hamlet, close to Dingwall, Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. The small hamlet of Bottacks is located 1 mile to the west, and just to the east is Brae or Brea, formed in ...

and

Killearnan Killearnan is a civil parish in the Black Isle peninsula of Ross and Cromarty in the Highland area of Scotland. It is bordered by the parish of Urquhart and Logie Wester on the north, Urray to the west and Knockbain in the east. It borders th ...

(previously holding Lemlair and Logie Bride too), the

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

Ardersier Ardersier () is a small former fishing village in the Scottish Highlands on the Moray Firth near Fort George, between Inverness and Nairn. Its name may be an anglicisation of the Gaelic "Àird nan Saor", or "Headland of the joiners", one loca ...

and Kilmuir, the

chanter The chanter is the part of the bagpipe upon which the player creates the melody. It consists of a number of finger-holes, and in its simpler forms looks similar to a recorder. On more elaborate bagpipes, such as the Northumbrian bagpipes or ...

Kinnnettes and Suddy, the treasurer Urquhart and Logiebride ("Logie Wester"), the sub-dean

Edderton Edderton () is a village near Tain, lying on the shores of the Dornoch Firth, Easter Ross and is in the Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Gen ...

and

Tain Tain ( ) is a royal burgh and parish in the County of Ross, in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. Etymology The name derives from the nearby River Tain, the name of which comes from an Indo-European root meaning 'flow'. The Gaelic n ...

(later going to the provost of the

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...

at Tain), and the sub-chanter Inverferan and Bron (merged later as

Urray Urray () is a scattered village and coastal parish, consisting of Easter, Old and Wester Urray and is located in the county of Ross-shire, Ross in the Scotland, Scottish council area of Highland Council area, the Highland. Urray is also a paris ...

). The chancellor of Ross, appearing to hold no fixed prebend in the 13th century, later acquired Kilmorack; he exchanged it with the chanter in the 16th century for Kinnnettes and Suddy. The wealthy parishes of

and

Cromarty Cromarty (; , ) is a town, civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland (council area), Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mout ...

were quartered between the dean, chanter, chancellor and treasurer. Likewise, was quartered between the dean, chancellor, chanter and treasurer. The western churches of

Applecross Applecross ( , 'The Sanctuary', historically anglicized as 'Combrich') is a peninsula in Wester Ross, in the Scottish Highlands. It is bounded by Loch Kishorn to the south, Loch Torridon to the north, and Glen Shieldaig to the east. On its wes ...

Gairloch Gairloch ( ; , meaning "Short Loch") is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. A tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a golf course, a ...

Kintail Kintail () is a mountainous area sitting at the head of Loch Duich in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, located in the Highland Council area. Name The area is called ''Cinn t-Sàile'' in Scottish Gaelic – which, since the "s" is sile ...

Lochalsh Lochalsh is a district of mainland Scotland that is currently part of the Highland (council area), Highland council area. The Lochalsh district covers all of the mainland either side of Loch Alsh - and of Loch Duich - between Loch Carron and Lo ...

, Lochbroom and

Lochcarron Lochcarron () is a village, community and civil parish in the Wester Ross area of Highland, Scotland. It has a population of 923. Locality The name Lochcarron is also applied to the collection of small settlements strung out along Loch Carron, ...

were held by the chapter in common.

Alness Alness (, ; ) is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It lies near the mouth of the River Averon, near the Cromarty Firth, with the town of Invergordon to the east, and the village of Evanton to ...

Contin Contin ( Gaelic: Cunndainn) is a Ross-shire village, and a civil parish and community council area between Strathpeffer and Garve in the Highland council area of Scotland. The parish has a population of 675.Cullicudden,

Dingwall Dingwall (, ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north ...

, Kilchrist, Kilmuir (Easter),

Kiltearn Kiltearn (Gaelic: ''Cill Tighearna'') is a parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It is in the Presbytery of Ross. The local landowners since the 11th century reign of Malcolm II have been the Clan Munro. The principal settlement is the villag ...

, Kincardine, Kirkmichael, Logie Methet (" Logie Easter"),

Rosskeen Rosskeen is a parish in Ross and Cromarty on the Cromarty Firth in northern Scotland, containing the settlements of Invergordon, Bridgend and Saltburn, Ross and Cromarty, Saltburn. It lies on the A9 between Inverness and Thurso. Notable Buildi ...

(with Nonakiln) also constituted prebends for the cathedral. By the early 14th century, the

abbot of Kinloss The Abbot of Kinloss (later Commendator of Kinloss) was the head of the property and Cistercian monastic community of Kinloss Abbey, Moray, founded by King David I of Scotland around 1151 by monks from Melrose Abbey. The abbey was transformed into ...

was a permanent member of the Fortrose cathedral chapter on account of holding in perpetuity the rectorship of the parish of

Avoch Avoch harbour Avoch ( ; from the – meaning mouth of the stream) is a harbour-village located on the south-east coast of the Black Isle, on the Moray Firth. History Origins Ormond Castle or ''Avoch Castle'' was a stronghold built on the s ...

Building

The cathedral was constructed primarily of red

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

. Two sections, the

chapter house A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

and the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

's south

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

, still stand on location. The outline of the remainder of the cathedral complex was revealed by excavations in 1873. The cathedral building appears to have begun, probably in the early-to-mid-13th century, as an "extended rectangle" with a tower in the north-west, and a chapter house and

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

north of the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

. The south-eastern chapel, aisle and porch were commissioned by

Euphemia I, Countess of Ross Euphemia I (d. 1394 x 1398), also called Euphemia of Ross and Euphemia Ross, and sometimes incorrectly styled ''Euphemia Leslie'' and ''Euphemia Stewart'' (Scottish women in this period did not abandon natal names for married names), was a Countes ...

in the late 14th century, but likely replaced an earlier building. These parts of the cathedral resemble work at

Elgin Cathedral Elgin Cathedral, a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, northeast Scotland, was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was established in 1224 on land granted by King Alexander II of Scotland, Alexander II and stood outside the burgh of Elgin, close to ...

from the same period, something that can be attributed to the fact that its bishop Alexander de Kylwos had earlier been

Dean of Moray Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

Notable burials

The south aisle, which contains two distinct chapels, has several burials. The eastern chapel is thought to contain burials of Countess Euphemia and Bishop Robert Cairncross. The tomb in the western chapel is, reputedly, Bishop John Fraser.

Alexander of Islay Alexander of Islay or Alexander MacDonald (died 1449; ) was a medieval Scottish nobleman who succeeded his father Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles, Domhnall of Islay as Lord of the Isles (1423–1449), later rising to the rank of Earl of R ...

Earl of Ross The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland, as well as chief of Clan Ross. Origins and transfers In the early Middle Ages, Ross was part of the vast earldom of Moray. It seems to have been made ...

and

Lord of the Isles Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( or ; ) is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title was ...

, was buried in the cathedral, but the location is not known. On the ceiling of the western chapel there are two heraldic bosses, representing Earl Alexander and Bishop John Bulloch. According to 19th century historian Alexander Mackenzie, many of the early chiefs of the

Clan Munro Clan Munro (; ) is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically the clan was based in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional origins of the clan give its founder as Donald Munro who came from the north of Ireland and settled in Scotland i ...

were buried in the "Cathedral Church of Chanonry", which was the burial place of the family for over 400 years. Those mentioned by Mackenzie as buried there are Robert Munro, 2nd Baron of Foulis (d.1164), Donald Munro, 3rd Baron of Foulis (d.1192), Robert Munro, 4th Baron of Foulis (d.1239), Hugh Munro, 9th Baron of Foulis (d.1425), John Munro, 11th Baron of Foulis (d.1490), and Hector Munro, 13th Baron of Foulis (d.1541).

Decline

After the

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process whereby Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke away from the Catholic Church, and established the Protestant Church of Scotland. It forms part of the wider European 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Fr ...

it continued to be used as a church for the town. Lord Ruthven was granted the lead from the roof to sell in June 1572. It began to fall apart in the later 16th and early 17th century, though the

and chapter house were still used for local gatherings of officials in the 18th century. Like other Scottish ex-cathedrals, its grounds remained in use as a graveyard. The government took over responsibility for its care in 1851 and it is now a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * *

External links

{{Former cathedrals in Scotland Archaeological sites in Highland (council area) Buildings and structures in Highland (council area) 13th-century church buildings in Scotland Churches in Highland (council area) Former cathedrals in Scotland History of the Scottish Highlands Medieval cathedrals in Scotland Fortrose Scheduled monuments in Highland Historic Environment Scotland properties in Highland Tourist attractions in Highland (council area) Culdees