List of cathedrals in Scotland facts for kids

A cathedral is a very important church in Christian faiths. It's like the main or "mother" church for a special area called a diocese. The word "cathedral" comes from the word cathedra, which means the special seat where the bishop sits. Bishops are leaders in churches that have an episcopal hierarchy.

In Scotland, you'll find cathedrals from different Christian groups because of the country's interesting religious past. Before the Scottish Reformation, most churches in Scotland were Catholic. Each of their thirteen areas (dioceses) had a bishop and a cathedral.

But in 1560, the Scottish church changed. It became Protestant. After many disagreements, the new Church of Scotland decided in 1689 that it would no longer have bishops. Instead, it would be run by a system called Presbyterian. This meant the old cathedrals became regular parish churches.

Later, the Scottish Episcopal Church was formed. This group kept the idea of having bishops. The Catholic Church also grew again. In the late 1800s, laws that stopped Episcopalian and Catholic worship were removed. With this new freedom, these churches started building their own cathedrals. That's why many of Scotland's Episcopal and Catholic cathedrals look like Victorian buildings.

Contents

• Cathedrals of the Church of Scotland
• Scottish Episcopal Church Cathedrals
• Catholic Church Cathedrals
  • Province of St Andrews and Edinburgh
  • Province of Glasgow
• Greek Orthodox Church Cathedrals
• More to Explore

Cathedrals of the Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland is a bit different. It doesn't have bishops anymore. So, officially, it doesn't have cathedrals in the strict sense. However, many buildings that used to be cathedrals before the Scottish Reformation are still called "cathedrals" today. They are often known as "High Kirks".

Image	Name & dedication	Established	Location
St Machar's Cathedral	St Machar, Aberdeen	1131	57°10′11″N 2°06′08″W / 57.1698°N 2.1021°W / 57.1698; -2.1021 (St Machar's Cathedral Aberdeen)
Brechin Cathedral	Brechin Cathedral	13th century	56°43′55″N 2°39′42″W / 56.731944°N 2.661667°W / 56.731944; -2.661667 (Brechin Cathedral)
Dornoch Cathedral	Dornoch Cathedral	13th century	57°52′52″N 4°01′47″W / 57.881128°N 4.029622°W / 57.881128; -4.029622 (Dornoch Cathedral)
Dunblane Cathedral	Dunblane Cathedral	7th century	56°11′22″N 3°57′55″W / 56.189419°N 3.96525°W / 56.189419; -3.96525 (Dunblane Cathedral)
Dunkeld Cathedral	Dunkeld Cathedral	1260	56°33′54″N 3°35′23″W / 56.565°N 3.589722°W / 56.565; -3.589722 (Dunkeld Cathedral)
St Giles Cathedral	St Giles, Edinburgh	12th century	55°56′58″N 3°11′27″W / 55.949444°N 3.190833°W / 55.949444; -3.190833 (St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh)
St Mungo's, Glasgow	St Mungo, Glasgow	1136	55°51′47″N 4°14′05″W / 55.863°N 4.2346°W / 55.863; -4.2346 (St Mungo's Cathedral, Glasgow)
St. Magnus Cathedral at Sunset	St Magnus, Kirkwall	1137	58°58′56″N 2°57′32″W / 58.982222°N 2.958889°W / 58.982222; -2.958889 (St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall)
St Moluag's Cathedral	St Moluag, Lismore	592	56°32′04″N 5°28′50″W / 56.534444°N 5.480556°W / 56.534444; -5.480556 (St Moluag's Cathedral, Lismore)

Scottish Episcopal Church Cathedrals

The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian group in Scotland that has bishops. This means they have official cathedrals. Many of these were built in the 1800s.

Image	Name & dedication	Diocese	Established/Location
St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen	Aberdeen Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Andrew	Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney	1817 57°08′57″N 2°05′34″W / 57.1490454°N 2.0928955°W / 57.1490454; -2.0928955 (St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen)
St Paul's Cathedral, Dundee	Dundee Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Paul	Diocese of Brechin	1855 56°27′40″N 2°58′05″W / 56.4610153°N 2.9680869°W / 56.4610153; -2.9680869 (St Paul's Cathedral, Dundee)
St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh	Edinburgh Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Mary	Diocese of Edinburgh	1879 55°56′55″N 3°12′59″W / 55.948595°N 3.216269°W / 55.948595; -3.216269 (St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh)
St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow	Glasgow Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin	Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway	1871 55°52′24″N 4°16′30″W / 55.8734329°N 4.2749262°W / 55.8734329; -4.2749262 (St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow)
Inverness Cathedral	Inverness Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Andrew	Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness	1869 57°28′28″N 4°13′45″W / 57.4744737°N 4.2291141°W / 57.4744737; -4.2291141 (St Andrew's Cathedral, Inverness)
Cathedral of The Isles	Millport Cathedral Cathedral of The Isles and Collegiate Church of the Holy Spirit	Diocese of Argyll and The Isles	1882 55°45′20″N 4°55′27″W / 55.7555746°N 4.924171°W / 55.7555746; -4.924171 (The Cathedral of The Isles, Great Cumbrae)
St John's Cathedral, Oban	Oban Cathedral Cathedral Church of St John the Divine	Diocese of Argyll and The Isles	1864
St Ninian's Cathedral, Perth	Perth Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Ninian	Diocese of Saint Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane	1850

Catholic Church Cathedrals

The Catholic Church also has cathedrals, led by bishops. These cathedrals are part of larger groups called provinces.

Province of St Andrews and Edinburgh

Image	Name & dedication	Diocese	Established/Location
St Mary's Cathedral, Aberdeen	Aberdeen Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Mary of the Assumption	Diocese of Aberdeen	1880 57°08′43″N 2°06′23″W / 57.1453812°N 2.1064199°W / 57.1453812; -2.1064199 (St Mary's Cathedral, Aberdeen)
Ayr Cathedral	Ayr Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Margaret	Diocese of Galloway	1822
St Andrew's Cathedral, Dundee	Dundee Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Andrew	Diocese of Dunkeld	1782 56°27′27″N 2°58′29″W / 56.4574399°N 2.9746985°W / 56.4574399; -2.9746985 (St Andrew's Cathedral, Dundee)
St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral Edinburgh	Edinburgh Cathedral Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St Mary	Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh	1814 55°57′22″N 3°11′16″W / 55.956057°N 3.187827°W / 55.956057; -3.187827 (St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh)
St Columba's Cathedral	Oban Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Columba	Diocese of Argyll and the Isles	1932

Province of Glasgow

Image	Name & dedication	Diocese	Established/Location
St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow	Glasgow Cathedral Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St Andrew	Archdiocese of Glasgow	1797 55°51′20″N 4°15′10″W / 55.855461°N 4.252897°W / 55.855461; -4.252897 (St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow)
Motherwell Cathedral	Motherwell Cathedral Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Good Aid	Diocese of Motherwell	1947 55°47′29″N 3°59′13″W / 55.79128°N 3.98704°W / 55.79128; -3.98704 (Motherwell Cathedral)
St Mirin's Cathedral	Paisley Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Mirin	Diocese of Paisley	1948 55°50′51″N 4°25′00″W / 55.847533°N 4.4165844°W / 55.847533; -4.4165844 (Paisley Cathedral)

Greek Orthodox Church Cathedrals

The Greek Orthodox Church also has a cathedral in Scotland, which serves other Orthodox communities too.

Image	Name & dedication	Established/Location
Greek Orthodox Church Glasgow	Glasgow Orthodox Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Luke	1954

More to Explore

• Church architecture in Scotland
• List of cathedrals
• Religion in Scotland