A Fix in Time..

We driving into town and figure I will take Bill to see an architectural marvel. A Cathedral that dates back to the crusades built by Vikings and then will help him find a tee shirt about the stones. This is what cured our Bill, now it may not have been his beloved stones but when I pointed out in the church a plaque crediting the architect, he was well-pleased. They usually never do that instead credit then money guy or the boss, or church leader.

St Magnus Cathedral - Britain’s most northerly Cathedral.
St Magnus Cathedral known as the ‘Light in the North’ was founded in 1137 by the Viking, Earl Rognvald, in order of his uncle St Magnus. The Cathedral belongs to the people of Orkney and its doors are open to all. The Cathedral, set in the heart of Kirkwall, the capital city of the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland, is a place of stillness, of serenity, of warmth, of the presence of God. We invite you explore this website which contains information about many aspects of the Cathedral’s life.

St. Magnus Cathedral - The Building

Towering above the Kirkwall landscape, St. Magnus Cathedral, with its distinctive sandstone hues, is one of Orkney's most significant landmarks. Parts of this impressive building have stood for more than 850 years and its attractive appearance owes much to the polychromatic effect of the alternating stonework, comprising red sandstone quarried from Head of Holland, north of Kirkwall, and yellow sandstone which is believed to have been quarried on Eday, one of Orkney's northern isles.
Sandstone is extremely soft and the weathering effects of Orcadian wind and rain over the course of time have helped create pleasing, almost sculptured effects that add to the Cathedral's charm.
Sir Henry Dryden considered the stonework to be the "finest example in Great Britain of the use of stones in two different colours" and few visitors today would disagree.
Much of the original external stonework was fashioned by medieval master masons who, it is generally believed, were trained at Durham Cathedral.
Although erosion has taken its toll, good examples of the original work can still be seen in the south transept doorway and around the three doorways in the west end.
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Transept doorway.

Notice the fantastic color of the stone and beautiful wooden door.

Then squat, thick columns that hold up the Cathedral is a fine example of Romanesque architecture. In later periods like Gothic the columns with be taller and leaner, this showed the advancement in building as they were able to basically do more with less. Less columns were needed, and they were higher because they learned how to build better.