This is the mother church of the Diocese of St Andrew’s, Dunkeld and Dunblane in the Scottish Episcopal Church. It was the first new Anglican cathedral to be built in Britain since the reformation and was consecrated in 1850. It is named for St Ninian who brought the Christian message to Scotland in the 5th century.

The architect of the cathedral was William Butterfield , who was a leading figure in the Gothic Revival style. He also designed All Saints Margaret Street, London; Keble College, Oxford; and the cathedrals of St Paul, Melbourne and St Peter, Adelaide in Australia. Further additions to the cathedral including the Lady Chapel were carried out to designs by John Loughborough Pearson, architect of Truro Cathedral.