(Note: Blog moving to new site: http://northscotland.blogspot.co.uk/) Fortrose Cathedral is a Medieval building which was founded in the 13th Century, possibly on the site of a n older monastic community. It was the seat (cathedra) of the Bishop of Ross until the Scottish Reformation in 1689. This photograph does not actually show the cathedral as such: this is only the chapterhouse: a small remnant of a once vast building. The building was not so much devastated by Protestant zeal as it decayed due to indifference. This indifference began during the reign of the Catholic Stuart monarchy. The building is made from Old Red Sandstone, which owes its distinctive colour to iron oxide. This rock once formed the floor of a giant arid plain. The Cathedral is surrounded by Yew Trees (taxus) which have long been associated with death and the underworld in Gaelic myth.
No comments:
Post a Comment