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A Tale of Two Kirks |
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However, Knox's sermon was to have unfortunate consequences for another Perthshire church.
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Dunkeld Cathedral, the pre-eminent site of the old Celtic Church, and the home of much of Scotland's Dark Age art, was to face the wrath of the mob, fired-up by Knox.
Up until the Reformation, the fortunes of the town and Cathedral of Dunkeld were inextricably linked. The first place of worship here was a wattle monastery founded by Celtic monks in the year 570. This was rebuilt in stone on the instructions of Kenneth MacAlpin in 848, who proclaimed Dunkeld the head of the Celtic Church and established his capital there. The relics of St Columba were supposedly brought there from Iona at this time, to save them for the attentions of raiding Vikings, and buried under the chancel steps.
The Cathedral itself was commenced in 1260, and ranked as one of Scotland's most important ecclesiastical buildings, with the town of Dunkeld built round the church buildings. The building was a mix of Norman and Gothic styles, an unsurprising fact when you discover that it took over 200 years to complete, with the tower, the final part, finished in 1501. It may come as a surprise to visitors today, who see the cathedral surrounded by peaceful parkland, but, in the time of the cathedral's prominence, all the hustle and bustle of a busy market town was carried out almost on the doorstep of the church buildings.
However, all this was to change after the spark of the Scottish Reformation was lit. Following Knox's sermon in Perth, the pace of change dramatically quickened. A Calvinist Confession of Faith was published in 1560 and quickly passed by the Scottish Parliament - effectively Protestantising Scotland with one stroke
Following this decree, the Privy Council announced that "images of idolatry" were to be destroyed.
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The mob was let loose on the Cathedral, and, despite pleas for restraint, the resultant mayhem saw the destruction of a vast collection of Scottish art, from the Celtic period up until the Renaissance. The nave and aisles were unroofed and the building was abandoned. As Scotland veered towards Presbyterianism, the see of Dunkeld was abolished in 1571. The destructive force of the mob also had an impact on the town. With the cathedral gone, the town lost prestige, visitors and trade, and began to enter a steep decline. The desecration even ended the hopes of the locals for the building of a bridge over the Tay, which had finally been planned after years of procrastination by the Bishops.
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