Abbeys -- Scotland; Cathedrals -- Scotland; Church architecture -- Scotland
Besides the Church of St. Regulus, there are still to be seen the ruins
of the great Cathedral of St. Andrews, which consisted of a short
aisleless presbytery, and choir of five bays with side aisles, with an
eastern chapel in each aisle; north and south transepts, each of three
bays with eastern aisles; nave of twelve bays with north and south
aisles, and a large central tower over the crossing. The interior
dimensions were--total length, 355 feet; width of nave, 63 feet; length
of transepts, 167 feet 6 inches; width, 43 feet 2 inches. The older
parts of the Cathedral exhibit traces of the transition from the Norman
architecture, but the principal parts of the structure have been carried
out in the First Pointed style.[42]
The Cathedral Church was also the Conventual Church of the
Austin-canons, and the Bishop was _ex officio_ prior of the monastery.
Of the conventual buildings erected by Bishop Robert nothing remains.
The Cathedral was erected from east to west in about 115 years.[43] The
work was commenced by Bishop Arnold in 1161, was continued by eleven
successive bishops, and was consecrated by Bishop Lamberton in 1318.
During its progress in 1276, the eastern end was greatly injured by a
violent tempest, and in 1378 the Cathedral suffered from fire, which
according to Wyntoun destroyed the south half of the nave from the west
end, and eastward to and including the ninth pillar. The restoration was
begun at once by Bishop Landel (1341-1385), and completed in the time of
Bishop Wardlaw (1404-1440), who in 1430 improved the interior by the
introduction of fine pavements in the choir, transept, and nave, and by
filling the nave with stained glass and building a large window in the
eastern gable. The south wall of the nave extends considerably westwards
beyond the present west end, and contains the remains of a vaulting
shaft, leading to the inference that the Cathedral was originally of
greater length than it now is by at least 34 feet. The north wall of
nave also projects westwards about 7 feet. There is a difficulty in
connection with the west front, and it is regarded by competent
authorities that this wall was not part of a western porch, but
"indicates that there has been a change in the design, and that the
original intention of having a wide porch extending along the whole of
the west end has been departed from after the first story was built up
to the level of the above string course, all above that point being of
later design and execution."[44]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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