Dunkeld Cathedral Dunkeld

This site has been a place of Christian worship since around 570 A. D., the Celtic missionaries - the Culdees - built a wattle monastery here.

In 848 the 'first' king of Scotland, Kenneth MacAlpin - king of the Scots, built the original stone Cathedral. The Poppleton Manuscript of the Scottish Chronicle states that 'Kenneth MacAlpin transported the relics of Columba to a church that he had built' from Iona in 849, there is however, a contrary story that states that the abbot of Iona transported Columba's reliquaries to Ireland.

It seems that these relics, of great significance to Kenneth's dynasty, were most probably divided - a significant share of which would have been housed in this very Cathedral. The Cathedral is dedicated to St Columba.

The building has both Gothic and Norman styles and was rebuilt over a period from 1260 to 1501.

The oldest part of the church is the Choir, completed in 1350 with the Nave being completed in 1447, the South Porch in 1460, the Chapter house in 1469 and the tower in 1501.

There is an almost endless list of things to look out for in the Cathedral including -
a marble statue of the 4^th Duke of Atholl
a memorial to the 8^th Duke of Atholl
a display detailing the history of the Church and its community of Dunkeld & Birnam
'The Apostles Stone', a 9^th century example of Pictish Art.

Later artefacts include -
a headless effigy of Bishop Sinclair (chaplain to William Wallace and Robert the Bruce)
The Black Watch memorial.
The Tomb of the notorious 'Wolfe of Badenoch', Earl of Badenoch and son of King Robert the 2^nd, lies behind the carved oak screen.

Following the Reformation, the Cathedral suffered widespread destruction, the building was partially restored in 1600 but the Nave remains today as it was then.

In 1689 the Cathedral and most of Dunkeld were destroyed by fire following the Dunkeld Battle between the Cameronians and the Jacobites. Repairs started two years later with continuing restoration work staged until 1908. The last restoration work took place in 1975.

Sir Donald Currie of Garth and Glenlyon gifted the Great East window to the Church in 1908.

The top section depicts - Fortitude, Charity, Prudence, Justice, Faith Hope, Temperance and Patience. The middle section displays five shepherds looking up to the angelic host while the bottom section shows St Columba addressing his flock.

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