St. Magnus Cathedral, the most northerly cathedral in the British Isles, is known as the ‘Light in the North.’ It is also the oldest cathedral in Scotland. It was founded in 1137 by the viking, Earl Rognvald in memory of his uncle St Magnus who was martyred in Orkney. At this time, Orkney was a part of the Archdiocese of Nidaros (Norway) until 1472 when it passed the Scottish Diocese of St. Andrews. It is now a parish church of the Church of Scotland.

The cathedral was constructed in the Romanesque style and contains many fine examples of Norman architecture. This has been attributed to English masons who may have worked on Durham Cathedral. The cathedral was built using red sandstone quarried near Kirkwall and yellow sandstone from the island of Eday. When the cathedral was consecrated, the relics of St. Magnus were enshrined in one of the columns.