Explore St Magnus Cathedral

Visitors to St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall can now hear all about the iconic building's history thanks to a new app.

The audio-visual guide can be accessed through your own phone or tablet when you enter the cathedral and gives visitors access to wide range of digital content about the building, including images, short videos and audio descriptions. Instructions for accessing the app are available at the front door of the cathedral.

The new app is available to use on your phone or tablet
The new app is available to use on your phone or tablet

Remember to bring your headphones to be able to access everything!

Towering above the Kirkwall landscape, the cathedral with its distinct sandstone hues is one of Orkney's most significant landmarks. It's also one of Orkney's most popular sites and welcomes more than 200,000 visitors every year. It was founded in 1137 by Earl Rognvald in honour of his uncle St Magnus and took 300 years to build.

Find out more about the cathedral's history with the new app
Find out more about the cathedral's history with the new app

Until now self-guided tours have been supported by traditional printed information leaflets. The development of the new app has been funded through the Kirkwall Townscape Heritage Initiative, a five-year project that aims to deliver improvements to the historic heart of Kirkwall. The £3.4m scheme is due to finish next year and has been provided mainly by Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and Orkney Islands Council.

The cathedral is one of Orkney's most iconic buildings
The cathedral is one of Orkney's most iconic buildings

Find out more about St Magnus Cathedral and discover how you can visit this beautiful building.

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