St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen
Encyclopedia
St Andrew's Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, is a cathedral
of the Scottish Episcopal Church
situated in the Scottish
city of Aberdeen
. It is the see
of the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney who is the Ordinary
of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney
.
was ordained in 1784. This is not correct. Bishop Seabury was in fact consecrated to the episcopate in "an upper room" of a house in Longacre, approx 500 metres from the present building. The appromimate site of the house used to be marked by a polished granite tablet. This has, in recent years, been moved up the quadrangle of the former Marischal College.
The original building was designed in the perpendicular Gothic style by the architect
Archibald Simpson
, the first of Simpson's many commissions in the city. Rather than being built out of the usual local granite
, for which Aberdeen is famous, the facade of the structure, facing King Street, was built from sandstone
. The rest of the building was built of granite.
The church opened in 1817 as St Andrew's Chapel and was raised to Cathedral status in 1914.
During the 1930s, the cathedral was renovated to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Seabury's consecration. There had been a plan to build an elaborate, cruciform cathedral with central tower, commemorating Bishop Seabury's consecration on the site currently occupied by Aberdeen City Council
's headquarters. This was to have been a gift of the ECUSA, however, the Wall Street Crash halted this plan due to lack of money. Instead, the existing church was enlarged and embellished by Sir Ninian Comper
. The memorial was dedicated with a ceremony attended by the then U.S. ambassador to the UK, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
The Cathedral has always offered dignified liturgical worship and, until the late 1970s and early 1980s, was anglo-catholic in tradition. In 1982, the Cathedral Provost of the time, Very Revd Donald Howard, declared in a sermon the cathedral was giving up the large crucifix and four of the six candles on the High Altar for Lent. This permitted the westward celebration of the Eucharist. The candles were never returned to the High Altar. The worship has since become more "broad" in nature, whilst retaining the dignity of Cathedral worship.
St Andrew's Cathedral Aberdeen has a long musical & choral heritage and is now the only Episcopalian (Anglican) cathedral in Scotland to maintain a traditional choir of men and boys. In recent years, the cathedral has also formed a girls' choir and a ladies choir; both of which are joined by the Lay Clerks (gentlemen) of the cathedral choir. Over the last thirty years, the Cathedral Choir has sung in most of the UK's major cathedrals and has also toured overseas.
The Cathedral, which has a splendid acoustic, houses one of the finest three manual pipe organs in Scotland, and has been served by a number of distinguished Organists & Masters of the Choristers including Frederick Fea, George Trash, John Cullen, Geoffrey Pearce, and the current Organist, Professor Andrew Morrisson
, who is now in his 25 year in the post.
Revd Canon Ian Ferguson
Revd Canon Jeremy Paisey
Revd Canon Isaac Poobalan
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of the Scottish Episcopal Church
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
situated in the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
city of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
. It is the see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney who is the Ordinary
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney
Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney
The Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. In mainland Scotland, the diocese covers the City of Aberdeen and most of Aberdeenshire...
.
History
The cathedral is notable as being the church where the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Samuel SeaburySamuel Seabury
Samuel Seabury was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He had been a leading Loyalist in New York City during the American Revolution.-History:Samuel Seabury was born in Groton, Connecticut in 1729...
was ordained in 1784. This is not correct. Bishop Seabury was in fact consecrated to the episcopate in "an upper room" of a house in Longacre, approx 500 metres from the present building. The appromimate site of the house used to be marked by a polished granite tablet. This has, in recent years, been moved up the quadrangle of the former Marischal College.
The original building was designed in the perpendicular Gothic style by the architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Archibald Simpson
Archibald Simpson
Archibald Simpson was one of the major architects of Aberdeen, .Simpson's buildings have contributed significantly to the architecture of Aberdeen. His first commission was for St...
, the first of Simpson's many commissions in the city. Rather than being built out of the usual local granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, for which Aberdeen is famous, the facade of the structure, facing King Street, was built from sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
. The rest of the building was built of granite.
The church opened in 1817 as St Andrew's Chapel and was raised to Cathedral status in 1914.
During the 1930s, the cathedral was renovated to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Seabury's consecration. There had been a plan to build an elaborate, cruciform cathedral with central tower, commemorating Bishop Seabury's consecration on the site currently occupied by Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen City Council represents the Aberdeen City council area of Scotland.The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. Act 1994...
's headquarters. This was to have been a gift of the ECUSA, however, the Wall Street Crash halted this plan due to lack of money. Instead, the existing church was enlarged and embellished by Sir Ninian Comper
Ninian Comper
Sir John Ninian Comper was a Scottish-born architect. He was one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects, noted for his churches and their furnishings...
. The memorial was dedicated with a ceremony attended by the then U.S. ambassador to the UK, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
The Cathedral has always offered dignified liturgical worship and, until the late 1970s and early 1980s, was anglo-catholic in tradition. In 1982, the Cathedral Provost of the time, Very Revd Donald Howard, declared in a sermon the cathedral was giving up the large crucifix and four of the six candles on the High Altar for Lent. This permitted the westward celebration of the Eucharist. The candles were never returned to the High Altar. The worship has since become more "broad" in nature, whilst retaining the dignity of Cathedral worship.
St Andrew's Cathedral Aberdeen has a long musical & choral heritage and is now the only Episcopalian (Anglican) cathedral in Scotland to maintain a traditional choir of men and boys. In recent years, the cathedral has also formed a girls' choir and a ladies choir; both of which are joined by the Lay Clerks (gentlemen) of the cathedral choir. Over the last thirty years, the Cathedral Choir has sung in most of the UK's major cathedrals and has also toured overseas.
The Cathedral, which has a splendid acoustic, houses one of the finest three manual pipe organs in Scotland, and has been served by a number of distinguished Organists & Masters of the Choristers including Frederick Fea, George Trash, John Cullen, Geoffrey Pearce, and the current Organist, Professor Andrew Morrisson
Andrew Morrisson
Dr Andrew Morrisson, PhD ARCM BSc MRSC CChem CSci, is Organist and Master of the Choristers at St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen, and Associate Head of the School of Pharmacy & Life Sciences at the Robert Gordon University.- Biography :...
, who is now in his 25 year in the post.
Cathedral Canons
Revd Canon Graham TaylorRevd Canon Ian Ferguson
Revd Canon Jeremy Paisey
Revd Canon Isaac Poobalan
See also
- Religion in ScotlandReligion in ScotlandChristianity is the largest religion in Scotland. At the 2001 census 65% of the Scottish population was Christian. The Church of Scotland, often known as The Kirk, is recognised in law as the national church of Scotland. It is not an established church and is independent of state control. However,...
- St Machar's Cathedral — the original cathedral in Aberdeen, now a High Kirk of the Church of ScotlandChurch of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
- St Mary's CathedralSt Mary's Cathedral, AberdeenThe Cathedral Church of St Mary of the Assumption, usually known as St Mary's Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is the see of the Bishop of Aberdeen, who is the ordinary of the Diocese of Aberdeen in the Province of St Andrews &...
— cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of AberdeenDiocese of AberdeenDiocese of Aberdeen was one of the 13 dioceses of the Scottish church, before the abolition of the episcopacy in 1689.-Early history:...