Visit to St Olaf's Church and St Magnus Cathedral

Our visit was part of the ongoing investigation into the legacy of Norse rule in Orkney

From our research we found out that the building of St Magnus cathedral was begun around 1137. When the cathedral was built, we recognised from studying early maps , that the shore would have been near the steps.

Perhaps the grand longships of Norse royalty would have been drawn up just below the steps! (There is evidence of a jetty underneath the Orkney museum gardens.)
The cathedral was built by Earl Rognvald in memory of his uncle ,Earl Magnus , who had been murdered in Egilsay in 1117 during a struggle for power in Orkney between him and his cousin and joint ruler of Orkney, Earl Haakon. He had been killed by an axe blow to the top of the head
Once the building of the cathedral was underway, the remains of Earl Magnus were brought to the new cathedral in a procession , from St Olaf's church. The archway and door of St Olaf's church are all that are left in St Olaf's Wynd. The original church was established in the 11th century if not earlier.

Can you spot the small carved cross just visible on the stone behind where the remains of Earl Magnus rest?

We were fascinated to hear about the history of the cathedral and the retelling of the account of the life of Earl Magnus (St Magnus) from the Orkneyinga Saga and how his bones came to be discovered in a pillar in the cathedral from the custodian Mr Flett. He told us the remains of Earl Rognvald are in the opposite pillar.

The remains of Earl Magnus were found in a wooden box in a pillar during restoration work in 1919 . The carved box (or kist) is on display in the Orkney museum.