Tag Archives: Elgin Cathedral

The Chapter House, Elgin Cathedral, Moray

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We spent quite a long time in Elgin Cathedral and when we were leaving the two lovely attendants asked us if we had managed to visit the Chapter House. We hadn’t! They said it was well worth having a look at, so we did. Cathedrals can seem cold (well they are) and a bit forbidding, but this wee but very tall and grand  building seemed quite cosy and friendly to someone like myself – not in the least bit religious.

Chapter House, Elgin Cathedral, Moray

As you can see the stone seats even have blue velvet cushions.

Elgin Cathedral, Chapter House

Chapter House , Elgin Cathedral, Moray

The Chapter House was constructed in the 15th century and is apparently the best of its kind in Scotland.

Chapter House Ceiling, Elgin Cathedral, Moray

It can be seen to the left below, the roofed octagonal building, in a photo taken from one of Elgin Cathedral’s towers, and is in the first photo in my post about the Cathedral itself.

From Roof of Elgin Cathedral Moray

Elgin Cathedral, Moray Scotland

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Below is a photo of a Pictish carving which is in the grounds of Elgin Cathedral, it’s in not bad condition considering it’s 1100 years old.

Elgin Cathedral Carving Pictish stone

Back above and front below.

aElgin Cathedral Carving Pictish Stone 1

The statues below were never correct dimension wise  as the heads are too big.

Elgin Cathedral statues, Moray, Scotland

The carving below is of far better quality, this is one of the carvings which is on display inside the cathedral towers.

Elgin Cathedral Carving , gargoyle

The others below are also inside the towers, out of the weather.

Elgin Cathedral Carving,

 

Elgin Cathedral Carvings

The carved head below didn’t come out as well as I had hoped, it’s behind glass and is blurred, in reality it looks much better and it’s rare because it depicts the head of a lovely woman. Before this women were always seen as being evil harridans, because the Catholic church was run by men who thought that way, but that changed when ideas of chivalry and knighthood became fashionable in the 1300s.

Carved Woman's Head, Elgin Cathedral

Elgin Cathedral, Moray, Scotland

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Elgin Cathedral , Moray, Scotland

As you can see Elgin Cathedral is a ruin, building started here in the 1200s but the Protestant Reformation in the 1560s was its demise, although there’s a lot more of it still standing than many other cathedrals, it’s well worth going to see, we were impressed.

Elgin Cathedral , Moray, Scotland

Elgin Cathedral Carving , Moray, Scotland

Elgin Cathedral , Moray, Scotland

It doesn’t look like it but you can get up to the very top of both towers although you have to be fairly fit as it’s a very long way to the top up very narrow spiral staircases, but it’s worth it and there are ‘landings’ which you can have a rest in and they have exhibits of lots of the stone carvings which had decorated the outside of the cathedral in its heyday. As you can see from the photos below you get a great view from the top.

Elgin Cathedral , Mory, Scotland

You need a head for heights. The modern town is right next to the cathedral. The landscape is not fantastic it’s too flat for my liking but when you drive just a few miles out of  Elgin the countryside becomes much more hilly and scenic.

Elgin from Cathedral, Moray, Scotland

But there’s a nice park looking to the north from the cathedral. We were there in April when the cherry trees were still blooming.

Elgin Cathedral surrrounds north

I’ll show you some of the carvings tomorrow.

Elgin Cathedral Board, Moray, Scotland