Located in Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney Islands, St Magnus Cathedral was founded by the Viking, Earl Rognvald in 1137, when Orkney was part of the Kingdom of Norway. It is dedicated to Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, who was murdered by Haakon Paulsson, his cousin with whom he jointly held the earldom.

Admired for the varying colours of its stonework, caused by the use of red sandstone, quarried nearby, and yellow sandstone from Eday, one of Orkney’s northern isles, it is the only complete medieval cathedral in Scotland.