St. Machar’s Cathedral

Situated in Old Aberdeen, to the north of Aberdeen City Centre, St Machar’s Cathedral is an important historical and political landmark in the city. Named after St Machar, a Celtic Saint and disciple of St Columba, a place of worship was established on the very site in around 580 AD. It wasn’t officially recognised as a cathedral until sometime in the 1130s and it wasn’t until 1165 that a Norman-style cathedral was constructed. The building then underwent extensive restoration in the 13th century, but wasn’t until 1530 that works were finally complete. Since then, St Machar’s has lost and regained its cathedral status (in name only) and seen its central tower collapse and be rebuilt.