Roof tile
Glazed ceramic tiles in the medieval period were a costly luxury. This is why they are most commonly found in royal and ecclesiastical buildings – the crown and church had the money to spare on such things. This tile is from St Andrews Cathedral.
St Andrews Cathedral was Scotland’s largest and most magnificent medieval cathedral. It acted as headquarters of the Scottish Church during this time. Even in its current ruinous state, the cathedral remains a prominent landmark highly visible from the sea.
The majority of medieval roof tiles were unglazed. It is thought that glazed roof tiles, like this one, represented a higher status. The green colour of this tile could be created by adding copper to the glaze. We know it is a roof tile because of how thin it is. Floor tiles were much thicker as they had to bear the weight of people and furniture. Roof tiles were large and thin so they could be effectively layered over each other. This also made them light enough to be held in place easily.
St Andrews Cathedral
St Rule’s Church was likely built around 1130, as the first place of worship in Scotland for the newly arrived Augustinian canons. This Continental reformed order supplanted the existing clergy.
The 33m tall St Rule’s Tower may have been a beacon for pilgrims heading for the shrine of St Andrew.
Scotland’s greatest cathedral
The cathedral was begun in 1160–2 by Bishop Arnold. Work continued over the next 150 years, but was stalled by a storm in 1272, which blew down the west front, and by the first War of Independence against England.
When the cathedral was finally dedicated in 1318 – in the presence of Robert the Bruce, by then king – it was by far the largest church in Scotland. So it was fitting that St Rule’s became the headquarters of the Scottish Church.
The cathedral church is now ruined, but large areas survive.
Its superb remains include the:
- east gable of the presbytery, which housed the relics of St Andrew
- south wall of the nave
- majestic west front
The cloister retains its ruined chapter house and the restored stone-vaulted undercrofts that now house the cathedral museum. On display are fascinating artefacts from the early medieval era to post-Reformation times.
The Pends Gate (the main entrance into the cathedral precinct) and much of the precinct wall survive. Beyond the wall, on a ledge above the sea, are the foundations of the church of St Mary on the Rock (St Mary Kirkheugh). This was probably built to house the successors of the Culdee foundation, displaced from the cathedral site by the Augustinians.
The cathedral and the Protestant Reformation
In 1559, John Knox preached a fiery sermon in St Andrews parish church, and the cathedral was ‘cleansed’ as a result. In 1561, it was abandoned and replaced by the parish church as the chief place of worship. St Rule’s was then left to fall into ruins.
Details
- Dimensions
- 122 x 80 x 18mm
- Time Period
- Medieval
- Property Information
- St Andrews Cathedral
- Object Number
- SAC424
- Access Status
- Storage