Whether your interest is history, education, architecture or landscape, all these elements can be found here in Dunkeld. By becoming a Friend of Dunkeld Cathedral, your support for the preservation of the Cathedral can make a real difference.
As a Friend of Dunkeld Cathedral your annual subscription, £25 for an individual and £40 for a family, helps fund the ongoing work required to ensure that Dunkeld Cathedral can be used and enjoyed for generations to come.
In return you will receive regular updates and information on the cathedral and our restoration project’s progress, and be invited to join our annual meeting.
Our annual meeting is held in the Cathedral and has a speaker to talk about the history and significance of the Cathedral, and provides an opportunity to meet the team and other friends.
To receive details of how to become a Friend of Dunkeld Cathedral please complete our Keeping in touch form here.
Where Dunkeld Cathedral began…
The Cathedral can trace its roots to when Christianity first came to Scotland but is now in need of significant repair and restoration if it is going to continue to be fit for purpose to:
- fulfil and grow its use as a religious centre
- attract visitors whose custom supports local businesses in the community
- engage the local and wider community through events religious and secular, such as the Summer Music Festival
Dunkeld Cathedral is one of the most important medieval buildings in Scotland that is still in use today. The history of the Cathedral site can be traced to the ninth century when it became an important religious centre for the early Celtic Church.
St Columba is the patron saint of Dunkeld and the Cathedral. His relics were brought to Dunkeld in 849 and remained here until the Reformation.
Dating from the mid-late thirteenth century, the Choir of Dunkeld Cathedral is a Category A listed building.
Much of the Cathedral was destroyed in the Reformation in 1560. The see was declared void in 1571, but in 1600 the Choir was re-roofed and further renovated in 1691 for use as the parish church. The nave is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, and remains a ruin.
Further repairs to the building took place in 1762; the first building to receive public money. A later restoration by Archibald Elliot was funded by the 4th Duke of Atholl and a government subsidy.
A major restoration of the interior in 1908 was funded by Sir Donald Currie and included the vaulted roof and the East stained glass window.
As well as being regularly used for worship, the Cathedral is open to the public seven days a week and the church provides information about the history and heritage of the building to the many thousands of visitors who visit Dunkeld and the Cathedral each year. The building hosts a Summer Music Festival and is also used as a venue for concerts and for local community events.
