St Machar's Cathedral is a

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

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 ...

, located to the north of the city centre, in the former

burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...

Old Aberdeen Old Aberdeen is part of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It retains the sta ...

. Technically, St Machar's is no longer 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 ...

but rather a high kirk, as it has not been the seat of a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

since 1690.

History

St Machar is said to have been a companion of

St Columba Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey ...

on his journey to

Iona Iona (; , sometimes simply ''Ì'') is an island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaeli ...

. A fourteenth-century legend tells how God (or St Columba) told Machar to establish a church where a river bends into the shape of a bishop's

crosier A crozier or crosier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catho ...

before flowing into the sea. The River Don bends in this way just below where the cathedral now stands. According to legend, St Machar founded a site of worship in Old Aberdeen in about 580. Machar's church was superseded by a Norman cathedral in 1131, shortly after

David I David I may refer to: * David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399 * David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741) * David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881) * David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048) * David I of Scotland ...

transferred the see from Mortlach to Aberdeen. Almost nothing of that original cathedral survives; a lozenge-decorated base for a capital supporting one of the architraves can be seen in the Charter Room in the present church. After the execution of

William Wallace Sir William Wallace (, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of St ...

in 1305, his body was cut up and sent to different corners of the country to warn other dissenters. His left quarter ended up in Aberdeen and is buried in the walls of the cathedral. At the end of the thirteenth century Bishop Henry Cheyne decided to extend the church, but the work was interrupted by the Scottish Wars of Independence. Cheyne's progress included piers for an extended choir at the transept crossing. These pillars, with decorated capitals of red sandstone, are still visible at the east end of the present church. Though worn by exposure to the elements after the collapse of the cathedral's central tower, these capitals are among the finest stone carvings of their date to survive in Scotland. Bishop Alexander Kininmund II demolished the Norman cathedral in the late 14th century, and began the nave, including the granite columns and the towers at the western end. Bishop Henry Lichtoun completed the nave, the west front and the northern transept, and made a start on the central tower. Bishop Ingram Lindsay completed the roof and the paving stones in the later part of the fifteenth century. Further work was done over the next fifty years by Thomas Spens, William Elphinstone and Gavin Dunbar; Dunbar is responsible for the heraldic ceiling and the two western spires. The chancel was demolished in 1560 during 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 ...

. The bells and lead from the roof were sent to be sold in Holland, but the ship sank near Girdle Ness. The central tower and spire collapsed in 1688, in a storm, and this destroyed the choir and transepts. The west arch of the crossing was then filled in, and worship carried on in the nave only; the current church consists only of the nave and aisles of the earlier building.See Cathedral Church of St Machar, Old Aberdeen: A Welcome to Visitors (visitor pamphlet)See St Machar's Cathedral: A short history and guide (visitor information sheet) The ruined transepts and crossing are under the care of

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) () is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the merger of government agency Historic Sc ...

, and contain an important group of late

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

bishops' tombs, protected from the weather by modern canopies. The cathedral is chiefly built of outlayer granite. On the unique flat panelled ceiling of the nave (first half of the 16th century) are the heraldic shields of the contemporary kings of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and the chief earls and bishops of Scotland. The cathedral is an example of a fortified kirk, with twin towers, believed to have been inspired by the central tower of Perth's

St John's Kirk St John's Kirk is a church in the Scottish city of Perth, Perth and Kinross. Of Church of Scotland denomination, it is located in St John's Place, just southeast of the city centre. It stands on the former site of a church dating to 1126. Today ...

,''Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland''
Francis Hindes Groome (1901) built in the fashion of fourteenth-century tower houses. Their walls have the strength to hold spiral staircases to the upper floors and battlements. The spires which presently crown the towers were added in the 15th century. Bishops Gavin Dunbar and Alexander Galloway built the western towers and installed the heraldic ceiling. Notable figures buried in the cathedral cemetery include the author J.J. Bell,

Robert Brough Robert John Cameron Brough ARSA (20 March 1872 – 21 January 1905) was a Scottish painter born near Invergordon, Ross and Cromarty. Life He was born on 20 March 1872. at Garty Cottage, Kilmuir Easter, near Invergordon. His mother was Helen ...

, Gavin Dunbar, Robert Laws, a missionary to

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

and

William Ogilvie of Pittensear William Ogilvie of Pittensear FRSE FSA (Scot) (1736–1819), known as the Rebel Professor and described by his biographer as the "Euclid of Land law Reform", was a Scottish classicist, numismatist and author of an influential historic land refo ...

—the ‘rebel professor’. St Machar's Cathedral has been featured in BBC TV's ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Ch ...

''.The Cleveland Way
BBC TV, accessed 2019-06-16Glory Be To God The Father
hymn,

, accessed 2019-06-16

Ministry

The minister from 2004 to 2011 was the Reverend Dr Alan D. Falconer, who previously worked with the Secretariat of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. In 2011 the Reverend Jane Barron became the first female minister of St Machar's Cathedral. She was formerly minister at St Andrew's Church, Jerusalem and Stobswell Parish Church, Dundee. In 2015 Rev Barry Dunsmore became minister of St Machar's Cathedral. Since 2021, the minister has been Sarah Brown. Notable past ministers include: * James Lawson first Presbyterian minister 1569 to 1572 – translated to St Giles in Edinburgh to replace

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

, Moderator in 1580 * Alexander Arbuthnot from 1574 to 1596 – also Principal of

King's College, Aberdeen King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (''Collegium Regium Aberdonense''), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the Univer ...

, Moderator in 1573 and 1577 * David Rait 1598 to 1632, Moderator of Synod and Moderator of the Aberdeen General Assembly of 1605 * Alexander Scrogie 1621 to 1640 * William Strachan 1640 to 1653 *John Seaton 1656 to 1662 *Alexander Scrogie (secundus) 1659 to 1661 * Alexander Middleton 1661 to 1665 became Principal of

* Robert Reynold 1665 to 1670 also Rector of

*George Strachan (son of William) 1672 to 1678 * George Chalmers 1729 to 1745 also Principal of

* Patrick Forbes second charge 1816 to 1847, Moderator in 1829

Conservation and restoration

There has been considerable investment in recent years in restoration work and the improvement of the display of historic artefacts at the cathedral. The battlements of the western towers, incomplete for several centuries, have been renewed to their original height and design, greatly improving the appearance of the exterior. Meanwhile, within the building, a number of important stone monuments have been displayed to advantage. These include a possibly 7th–8th-century cross-slab from Seaton (the only surviving evidence from

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

at such an early date); a rare 12th century sanctuary cross-head; and several well-preserved late medieval effigies of cathedral clergy, valuable for their detailed representation of contemporary dress. A notable modern addition to the cathedral's artistic treasures is a carved wooden triptych commemorating John Barbour, archdeacon of Aberdeen (d. 1395), author of The Brus. In 1987, bells from the deconsecrated St Stephen's Church, Ealing were restored by Eayre & Smith and installed in St Machar's. It is now one of the few churches in Scotland to have a set of bells designed for

change ringing Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuning (music), tuned bell (instrument), bells in a tightly controlled manner to produce precise variations in their successive striking sequences, known as "changes". This can be by method ringing in ...

. In 2020 the cathedral carried out a £1.85m project to re-slate the roof, clean the heraldic ceiling, and repair some of the stained glass windows.

Stained glass

Scots law and religious convention did not allow the re-introduction of stained glass until 1866. There were no manufacturers or skills, so the earliest windows are of English creation. The windows and their location inside the Cathedral are detailed below. * Main west window, by

Clayton and Bell Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient British workshops of stained-glass windows during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton (1827–1913) and Alfred Bell (1832� ...

1870 – a set of seven narrow linear windows * Main east window, by William Wilson 1953 – flanked by small windows by Daniel Cottier from 1870s * North aisle, window 1 – by Marjorie Kemp 1920s – Parable of the Talents * North aisle, window 2 – by Marjorie Kemp 1920s – Nativity as memorial to

James W. H. Trail James William Helenus Trail Royal Society of London, FRS Linnean Society, FLS (4 March 1851 – 18 September 1919) was a 20th-century botanist who served as Professor of Botany at Aberdeen University from 1877 to 1919. Life He was born in Bir ...

* North aisle, window 3 – by Margaret Chilton 1920s – Dorcas window * North aisle, window 4 – by Margaret Chilton 1920s – Serpent and the Crucifixion * North aisle, window 5 – by Margaret Chilton 1920s – memorial to Marshall Gilchrist, organist * North aisle, window 7 – by Daniel Cottier 1870s – Memorial to James Jameson and James Auldjo Jameson * South aisle, window 1 – by Daniel Cottier 1870s * South aisle, window 2 – by Daniel Cottier 1870s – Faith Hope and Charity: A memorial to

George Jamesone George Jamesone (or Jameson) (c. 1587 – 1644) was a Scottish painter who is regarded as Scotland's first eminent portrait-painter. Early years He was born in Aberdeen, where his father, Andrew Jamesone, was a stonemason. His mother was Marj ...

, John Philip and

William Dyce William Dyce (; 19 September 1806 in Aberdeen14 February 1864) was a Scottish painter, who played a part in the formation of public art education in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom, and the South Kensington Schoo ...

* South aisle, window 3 – by Douglas Strachan 1913 – the Bishops Window * South aisle, window 4 – by

1877 – as a memorial to Robert Smith DD * South aisle, window 5 – by Douglas Strachan 1924 – as a war memorial, depicting St Michael and the dragon over Aberdeen Bay * South aisle, window 6 – by Douglas Strachan 1908 – the Crombie window

Ceiling

The heraldic ceiling features 48

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

in three rows of sixteen. Among those shown are: *

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X (; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Med ...

's coat of arms in the centre, followed in order of importance by those of the Scottish archbishops and bishops. * the Prior of St Andrews, representing other Church orders. * King's College, the westernmost shield. *

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV a ...

and multiple instances for the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

, who was also King of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

and

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

at the time the ceiling was created. * St Margaret of Scotland, possibly as a stand-in for

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to exte ...

, James V's mother, whose own arms would have been the marshalled arms of England and Scotland. * the arms of Aberdeen and of the families Gordon, Lindsay, Hay and Keith. The ceiling is set off by a frieze which starts at the north-west corner of the nave and lists the bishops of the see from Nechtan in 1131 to William Gordon at the Reformation in 1560. This is followed by the Scottish monarchs from Máel Coluim II to

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

. File:Shield of the Royal Burgh of Aberdeen.jpg, Royal Burgh of Aberdeen File:Shield of Charles V of Sicily.jpg, Charles V of Sicily File:Shield of St. Margaret of Scotland.jpg, St Margaret of Scotland File:Shield of James V of Scotland.jpg, King James V of Scotland File:Shield of Charles V - Holy Roman Emperor.jpg, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor File:Shield of Christian II of Denmark.jpg, Christian II of Denmark File:Shield of Henry VIII.jpg, King Henry VIII of England File:Sheild of Charles V of Spain.jpg, King Charles V of Spain

Internal burials

*William Wallace, Bishop of Culter Railway (1422–1440) * William de Deyn,

Bishop of Aberdeen The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach, in Latin Murthlacum) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Nech ...

(1344–1350) * John de Rait, Bishop of Aberdeen (1350–1355) * Alexander de Kininmund, Bishop of Aberdeen (1355–1380) * Henry de Lichton, Bishop of Aberdeen (1422–1440) * Gavin Dunbar (Bishop of Aberdeen), 1518/9–32 *

William Stewart (bishop of Aberdeen) William Stewart (c. 1490–1545) was a late medieval Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish prelate. Born around 1490 in Glasgow, he was the son of Thomas Stewart of Minto. Details about his early life are obscure, but it is known that he attended the ...

, 1532–1545 * William Gordon (bishop), Bishop of Aberdeen (1545–1577) * Patrick Forbes, Bishop of Aberdeen (1618–1635) * David Mitchel, Bishop of Aberdeen (1662–1663) * Patrick Scougal, Bishop of Aberdeen (1664–1682)

External burials

*Sir Harvey Adamson * James Barron (harbour engineer) * John Joy Bell author *

artist *Very Rev Prof Peter Colin Campbell * James Edward Crombie philanthropist * John William Crombie MP * George Dickie (botanist) * Very Rev Patrick Forbes *Sir William Hamilton Fyfe (memorial only) * Rev George Garden * William Duguid Geddes *Very Rev Alexander Gerard * James Giles RSA * David Gill (astronomer) *Prof John Harrower * Jessie Seymour Irvine, hymn tune composer * Rev Prof William Jack principal of King's College *Very Rev John Marshall Lang * James Leatham social reformer and author *Bishop Henry Leighton *William Leslie of Nethermuir (1802–1879) Lord Provost of Aberdeen * John Lumsden * Hector Munro MacDonald * Very Rev Prof Roderick MacLeod (within the east enclosure) *Rev Prof Duncan Mearns * George Pirie (mathematician) *Very Rev William Robinson Pirie *Prof Hercules Scott *James Augustus Sinclair, 16th

Earl of Caithness Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to hav ...

*Prof David Thomson (physicist) *Lt General William Montgomerie Thomson (memorial only) * Philip Tidyman *Prof

*Very Rev Samuel Trail

References

External links

St Machar's Cathedral website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Machars Cathedral Category A listed buildings in Aberdeen Listed cathedrals in Scotland Scheduled monuments in Aberdeen Medieval cathedrals in Scotland Cathedrals of the Church of Scotland Church of Scotland churches in Aberdeen Historic Environment Scotland properties in Aberdeen Tourist attractions in Aberdeenshire