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St Magnus
 In 1103 the cousins Magnus Erlendson and Haakon Paulson
succeeded to the Earldom. At first all went well, but
by about 1116 disputes had arisen, and it was agreed to meet
on Egilsay on 16th April.
The agreement was that each Earl was to take only two ships,
but Haakon arrived with eight and in uncompromising mood. Eventually
his cook, Lifolf, was ordered to kill Magnus, which he did
by cleaving his skull. A cenotaph now stands on the
spot where this act is said to have taken place and the roofless
St Magnus Church on Egilsay is one of many churches named
after the martyred Earl.
Magnus was buried at Christ’s Church at Birsay, and
soon prayers were being said to him, with miraculous cures
said to be taking place. Soon after Haakon made a pilgrimage
to Rome, and on his return had the now ruined St Nicholas
Round Church built at the Bu in Orphir, in about 1122.
Haakon was succeeded by his son Paul, who was deposed in
1135 by Magnus’ nephew Rognvald Kolson. Rognvald
had vowed to build “a stone minster at Kirkwall, and
to dedicate it to Earl Magnus the Holy”. In
1137 on St Lucia’s Day (13th December) he is said to
have laid the foundation stone.
 Much of the finance came from local farmers under pressure
from the Earl, and Durham masons were drafted in to supervise
proceedings. The church was consecrated about 1150
when Magnus’ remains were transferred from St Olaf’s
Kirk to a shrine in the east end of the building.
The choir was lengthened in the 13th century, and the nave
extended also so that by the 14th century the Cathedral was
more or less complete. Over the centuries it was allowed
to fall into disrepair, but extensive restoration works have
been carried out since the late 19th century. This
work continues today.
St Magnus is built from Old Red Sandstone, said to have
been quarried at nearby Head of Holland, and also on Eday,
lending the slightly austere exterior a warm look, which
is particularly apparent in early morning or evening light.
 The interior of the Cathedral is about 69m long and 30m
across the transepts, while only 5m separates the pillars
in the nave. Despite this, the overall impression is
of space and balance with the attractive colours of the stone
giving a very welcoming feel.
The Cathedral belongs to the people of Kirkwall and Orkney,
having been largely financed by them over the centuries. The
new St Magnus Centre, opened in 2001, is continued evidence
of the strong role that the St Magnus Cathedral continues
to play in Orkney society.
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