This morning we are attending the service at St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney. [i didn’t get over to Sheltand Islands this weekend]
According to Ehabitat , “The cathedral of St Magus in Kirkwall, Orkney, is the northernmost cathedral in Britain. Work started on construction of the cathedral in 1137 under the orders of Earl Rognvald, the nephew of Magnus.” BBC adds that the Cathedral of Durham was constructed at the same time.
BTW- I wish some new-media pilgrims out there would begin construction on a decent web site for the St Magnus Cathedral – its very hard to google around for information, like, for example, what time it starts (11.15am).
Saint Magnus is a beautiful building, reddish in colour, and is the only cathedral in Britain with its own dungeon. This will be the first time we have gone there for a worship service. In the sanctuary, I mean, NOT the dungeon . . . . although the dungeon would be a cool idea . . . hhhhmmmmmm . . . .Spirituality & Meditation in a Gothic Dungeon – now there’s a catchy name!
I met the Minister G. Fraser MacNaughton last summer at the St Magnus Festival – very nice chap, and like me, interested in the current emergence of pilgrimage around the world. In fact, he had returned from Norway where he attended a celebration of pilgrimage at one of the Norwegian cathedrals. I would imagine there is some future for us together as we figure out how to let the redemptive and historical gifts of Orkney get re-discovered and opened up for a new generation. [Images stolen lifted from BBC and Orkneypics]
St Magnus Cathedral
