Inverness Cathedral (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

: Cathair-Eaglais Inbhir Nis), also known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew (1866–69), is a

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of the

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church (; ) is a Christian denomination in Scotland. Scotland's third largest church, the Scottish Episcopal Church has 303 local congregations. It is also an Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, ecclesiastical provi ...

situated in the city of

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

close to the banks of the

River Ness The River Ness () is a short river in the Great Glen of Scotland. It begins at Loch Dochfour, at the northern end of Loch Ness, and flows northeast towards the city of Inverness, where it empties into the Moray Firth. It runs parallel to t ...

. It is the seat of the Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness,

ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (album) (2011), by Every Little Thing * "Ordinary" (Alex Warren song) (2025) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016 ...

of the

Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness The Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers Caithness and Sutherland (the old Diocese of Caithness), mainland Ross and Cromarty (the old Diocese of Ross), and mainland Inver ...

. The cathedral is the northernmost extant diocesan cathedral in mainland Britain -

Dornoch Cathedral Dornoch Cathedral is a Church of Scotland parish church serving the small Sutherland town of Dornoch, in the Scottish Highlands. As a congregation of the Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian, the church is not the seat of a bishop but retai ...

Fortrose Cathedral Fortrose Cathedral was the Cathedral, episcopal seat (''cathedra'') of the Christianity in medieval Scotland, medieval Scottish Diocese of Ross (Scotland), diocese of Ross in the Highland region of Scotland near the city of Inverness. It is prob ...

and

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 ...

are no longer acting as diocesan cathedrals. It was the first new Protestant cathedral to be completed in Great Britain since the Reformation.

History

Bishop Robert Eden decided that the cathedral for the united Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness should be in Inverness. The foundation stone was laid by the Archbishop of Canterbury,

Charles Longley Charles Thomas Longley (28 July 1794 – 27 October 1868) was a bishop in the Church of England. He served as Bishop of Ripon, Bishop of Durham, Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1862 until his death. Life He was born at Ro ...

, in 1866 and construction was complete by 1869, although a lack of funds precluded the building of the two giant spires of the original design. The architect was Alexander Ross, who was based in the city. The cathedral is built of red Tarradale stone, with the nave columns of

Peterhead Peterhead (; , ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is the council area's largest settlement, with a population of 19,060 at the 2022 Census for Scotland, 2022 Census. It is the largest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landi ...

granite. The cathedral congregation began as a mission in 1853, on the opposite side (east) of the River Ness.

Bells

The cathedral contains a ring of ten bells, which are noted as being the most northerly peal of change-ringing bells in a church in the world. The tenor bell weighs 17 cwt.

Stained glass

The stained glass windows of the cathedral were designed and installed by Hardman & Co. The great Western window depicts "Christ in Majesty at the Last Judgement" and was installed in memory of Bishop Eden.

List of Provosts

The following have served as

Provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

of Inverness Cathedral: * Robert Eden * James Kelly * Herbert Mather (1891 to 1897) *

Allan Webb Allan Webb may refer to: * Allan Webb (bishop) * Allan Webb (American football) See also

* Alan Webb (disambiguation) {{hndis, Webb, Allan ...

(1898 to 1901) * Vernon Staley * Reginald Mitchell-Innes (1911 to 1918) * Alexander MacKenzie (1918 to 1949) * Leslie Pennell (1949 to 1965) *

Frank Laming Frank Fairbairn Laming (24 August 1908 – 3 June 1989) was an Anglican priest in the 20th century. He was born on 24 August 1908 and educated at Durham University and Edinburgh Theological College and ordained in 1937. His first post was as Ass ...

(1966 to 1974) * Jack Woods (1975 to 1980) * Arthur Wheatley (1980 to 1983) * Gordon Reid (1984 to 1988) * Alan Horsley (1988 to 1991) *

Malcolm Grant Sir Malcolm John Grant, , (born 29 November 1947) is a barrister, academic lawyer, and former law professor. Born and educated in New Zealand, he was the ninth President and Provost of University College London – the head as well as principa ...

(1991 to 2002) *

Michael Hickford Michael Francis Hickford was an Anglican priest in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He was born on 7 October 1953, educated at Gravesend Grammar School and ordained after a period of study at Edinburgh Theological College in 1986. He was ...

(2003 to 2004) *

Alex Gordon Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professional ...

(2005 to 2014) * Sarah Murray (2017 to present)

Organists

* E A Bishop (1869 to 1872) * John Henry Gibbons-Money (1872 to 1900) * Thomas Taylor (1900 to 1916) * Hugh Armstrong (1916 to 1917) * Alfred H Allen (1917 to 1919) * Daniel Edwin Roberts (1920 to 1966) * Ena Margaret Barrett (1966 to 1975) * David Hardie (1975 to 1978) * Peter David Godden (1979 to 1985) * Russell Tolmie Grant (1985 to 2001)

Assistant Organist/ Cathedral Organist

* Gordon Tocher (Assistant Organist 1985 - 2005; Cathedral Organist 2005 to present)

Directors of Music & Organist

* Charles Edward Barbieri (2003 - 2006) * Bert Richardson (2007 to 2022) * Adrian Marple (2022 to present)

Gallery

File:Inverness Cathedral Nave 1, Scotland, UK - Diliff.jpg, The nave looking south towards the choir File:Inverness Cathedral Nave 2, Scotland, UK - Diliff.jpg, The nave looking north towards the entrance File:Inverness Cathedral Choir, Scotland, UK - Diliff.jpg, The choir and altar

References

External links

Inverness Cathedral site
{{Authority control Cathedrals of the Scottish Episcopal Church Andrew's Category A listed buildings in Highland (council area) Listed cathedrals in Scotland Gothic Revival church buildings in Scotland Tourist attractions in Highland (council area) Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness Anglo-Catholic church buildings in Scotland