St Andrews
On the east coast of Fife is the charming town of Saint Andrews, now famous as the home of golf it was traditionally the religious centre for Scotland and remains an important university town. With its long history, impressive ruins and excellent setting there can be few better towns to spend a pleasant afternoon.
Legend has it that a religious figure known as Regulus or Rule brought the sacred remains of St Andrew from Patras after the saint appeared to him in a series of prophetic dreams. After many adventures he ended up in Scotland and it was when he reached a town known as Kilrymont - already a centre of Pagan boar worship - that he was signalled to stop and erect a chapel in memory of the apostle and to house his earthly remains.
It was as a centre of pilgrimage that St Andrews grew into the town that we know today. Throughout the medieval period people were travelling throughout Europe from one religious centre to another and anywhere with the remains of one of the twelve apostles was obviously a big draw. All of these pilgrims required food and lodgings - and souvenirs! This brought a great deal of prosperity to the town.
It was the numbers of pilgrims began to outgrow St Rule's church that the new cathedral was begun. The foundations were laid around 1160 and it was to become the largest cathedral in Scotland and the second longest in all of Britain, it probably contained the largest collection of religious relics and medieval art in Scotland.
Despite its prominence it had a fairly turbulent history suffering serious damage from both storm and fire; it also had the lead stripped from its roof under orders of Edward I. The demise of the Cathedral came in 1559 when it was sacked by a Protestant mob.
As the centre of the Catholic Church, St Andrews was at the forefront of the Reformation when the Protestants began to fight for supremacy after years of prosecution. Many public executions of early Protestants, mostly by burning, took place around the town.
The violent nature of religious and political life in Scotland at this period is best seen in the remains of St Andrews castle which was home to the Bishops. The castle was occupied by the Protestants and led to a long siege. The attempts to end this are visible in the finest siege and counter siege tunnel in Europe.
St Andrews has also the oldest university in Scotland and the 3rd oldest in Britain. Recognised in 1413 it still has a great reputation throughout the country, so much so that it was chosen by Prince William for his Art History degree.
It is now golf which brings most visitors to the town. St Andrews is considered to be the home of golf and is the centre of the modern governing body. Golf developed as a sport played on the sand dunes of Scotland's East coast in the early 15th Century and was banned by royal decree on three separate occasions as it kept the population away from their archery training.
Despite this it continued to grow in popularity and the Old Course is believed to be the oldest 18 holes still in use.
What we do in St Andrews:
- Wander through the medieval streets
- Mimic Chariots of Fire along the long broad beach!
- Visit the shops and pubs
- History and Legend
Tours that visit St Andrews include:
Other places that may interest you are:
