I found St. Machars Cathedral after first spotting and walking in the connected cemetery on the morning of Sunday 7 July 2019. I was exploring Old Aberdeen on foot and after finding St Machars Hall (which I dubbed St Machars Tomb), I decided to see if I could find the corresponding cathedral. After taking the wrong street and not finding the cathedral I opted to check out a cemetery along the road. While exploring the cemetery, I noticed a larger building resembling a cathedral. Reading the headstones, I made my way along the side of the larger building to its front. A few cars were parked out front. Turns out it was St. Machars Cathedral, which I had given up on trying to find... Learned that exploring a cemetery could (and did) lead to me finding something else I was looking for. The graves in the cemetery were well laid out and headstones easy to read. Vegetation was well curated. read more

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Well-worth the visit. Everyone is welcome. The structure is breathing ... massively high ceilings bearing numerous familes' coat of arms. The pews are well-worn, indicative of an active congregation. Definitely worth a visit - and some quiet time. read more

A visit to St. Machar's Cathedral, located in the "old" town of Aberdeen north to the city centre (a 2 mile walk from the central station!), will be very much worth the while for visitors to Scotland's northernmost larger city. The "old" part of town is a surprise in that it does not consist of narrow alleys, burgher houses or pubs. Instead, it is very much dominated by the King's College, another major Aberdeen attraction, and the roads are mostly wide, bright and lacking in atmosphere. A lack of atmosphere cannot be claimed for St. Machar's itself, which is not only full of interesting architectural details (like e.g. the amount of wood used), but it sits among impressive church/cemetery grounds and is also graced with the neighborhood of the wonderful Seaton Park, where you may relax after your visit to St. Machar's. It became a Cathedral in the 1130s when the seat of the Bishop was transferred from Mortlach, near Dufftown to Old Aberdeen under David I. By 1165 a Norman style cathedral stood on the site. In the 13th century the Cathedral had to undergo extensive restoration. This was started under the instruction of Bishop Cheyne (1282 to 1328). We have to thank him that the building turned out to be a fine example of a fortified Kirk. The building was finished only in 1530, but parts of it were dismantled/destroyed by Cromwell's troops when they moved into Aberdeen in 1654. Not until 1953(!) was the cathedral completely restored to its former glory. Entry to St. Machar's is free, and you can take as many photos as you like. See mine for reference. read more

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