St. Magnus Cathedral is a “cathedral” in Orknøyen’s capital Kirkwall, and was built by Ragnvald Orknøyjarl in honor of his uncle Magnus Orknøyjarl. Construction work began in 1137. The cathedral has great resemblance to the Nidaros cathedral in Trondheim. St. Magnus Cathedral is a “Norwegian” building and the most powerful memorial to Orkney’s Norwegian period. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name Kirkjuvagr which means “Church bay”. Today, it is a parish church of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and therefore technically no longer a cathedral.
The Bishop’s Palace, Kirkwall is a 12th-century palace built at the same time as the adjacent St Magnus Cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. It housed the cathedral’s first bishop, William the Old of the Norwegian Catholic church who took his authority from the Archbishop of Nidaros (Trondheim)
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