Way of St Andrews: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 09:27, 15 May 2020

The Way of St Andrews (Spanish: El Camino de Saint Andrews, French: Chemin de Saint-Andrews, German: der Weg von Saint Andrews, Italian: il cammino di Saint Andrews) is the revived (as of 2012) Christian pilgrimage route that leads to St Andrews Cathedral in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, UK, where the relics of the apostle, Saint Andrew, were once kept.

The Tradition of Pilgrimage to St Andrews

There are records going back as far as the 10^th century of kings and princes coming to St Andrews to pray at a shrine housing the relics of the saint. This trend continued and expanded and, by the early 12^th Century, the existing town was struggling to cope with the increasing numbers.

At this stage the king, Alexander I of Scotland, recognized the need for a larger church and a system to manage the flow of visiting pilgrims, and gave royal encouragement and funds to Robert, the newly elected bishop. Soon a new cathedral complex was built in a (probably accidental) imitation of the shape of the scallop shell, the universal badge of pilgrimage. This cathedral, dominated by the tower to St Rule, became one of the largest buildings in Europe. Whether by accident or deliberate one-upmanship, the internal length of the cathedral was 108 metres, 12 metres longer than the cathedral at Santiago.

Alexander's successor, King David I of Scotland, continued to back the rebuilding of St Andrews and, furthermore, promised royal protection to pilgrims. Numbers steadily increased, coming mainly by two routes. From the south-east, pilgrims primarily from the continent arrived at North Berwick, where they took the ferry to the south coast of Fife arriving at Earlsferry. They travelled the last 15 miles on foot to St Andrews along a track the width of “a donkey with two panniers”. From the south, pilgrims arrived at modern South Queensferry and were ferried across the Firth of Forth before proceeding to St Andrews, a journey of around fifty miles.

Pilgrimage numbers began to decrease with war and especially in the wake of the Reformation. In 1559, John Knox, the great Protestant reformer, preached a sermon in St Andrews urging the pillage and destruction of the cathedral. Fortunately, the relics were removed to safety but the destruction and looting started that day which reduced the flourishing religious centre to the gaunt but massive ruins which continue to dominate the town today.

The Revival of the Pilgrimage Tradition in Scotland

In recent years, the Way of St Andrews has seen renewed interested, with a recent revival campaign led by lay volunteers from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. ^[1]

Modern Pilgrims to St Andrews

St Margaret's Way, named after the Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland, was blessed and inaugurated in July 2012 during High Mass in Edinburgh's Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral, and, afterwards, the pilgrims congregated round Eduardo Paolozzi's sculpture, “The Big Foot”, an allegory for pilgrimage. There were about fifty pilgrims. The pilgrimage finished at St Andrews with an open-air procession and High Mass in the ruins of the cathedral and was covered by the BBC with interviews given by a cardinal and a Presbyterian minister.

Routes

St Margaret's Way: Edinburgh to St Andrews – 100 kms/62 miles^[2]
St Margaret's Loop: North Queensferry to Dunfermline and back – 19 km/12 miles^[3]
St Margaret's Elbow : Earlsferry to St Andrews via Fife Ness – 37 km/23 miles^[4]
St Andrews Circuit: Historical circuit of St Andrews and the cathedral – 6 km/4 miles^[5]
St Duthac's Way: Aberdeen to St Andrews – 146 kms/91 miles. St Duthac's Way, named after St Duthac, a 11^th century saint who is commemorated by numerous altars and shrines in Scotland and especially the north-east, starts in Aberdeen and travels to Stonehaven and spectacular Dunnottar Castle. Then the Way goes mainly along the coast through fishing villages and the famous Scottish towns of Montrose and Arbroathto the city of Dundee, then crosses the Tay and follows the Fife Coastal Path to St Andrews.^[6]
The Rosslyn Chapel Way: Edinburgh (East route) to Rosslyn Chapel – 16 kms/10 miles^[7]
St Columba's Way: Iona to St Andrews – 279 kms/173 miles. Named after St Columba who brought Christianity to Scotland, this great pilgrimage way travels from the Isle of Iona to St Andrews. Includes two ferry journeys. Very mixed terrain including hilly and rough walking.^[8]
St Ninian's Way: Carlisle to St Andrews via Whithorn and Paisley to St Andrews – 700 kms/342 miles. This way, named after St Ninian, the 4^th century missionary and miracle worker, starts in Carlisle at the cathedral and goes north to Whithorn and St Ninian's Cave, about 314 kms. Then the Way goes north and along the Ayrshire coast to Paisley, about 210 kms. Then into Glasgow and mainly along canal and quiet roads, including a section of the Antonine Wall to Falkirk, Linlithgow and South Queensferry, about 104 kms. There it picks up St Margaret's Way for the remaining 65 km to St Andrews.^[9]
St Wilfrid's Way: Hexham to Edinburgh, then St Andrews – 250 km/155 miles^[10]
The Ladywell Way: Motherwell to St Andrews – 58 kms/36 miles

^[11]

References

Bibliography

Scott, Walter. Tales of a Grandfather.
Mayhew Smith, Nick. Britain's Holiest Places.
Welch, Sally. Making a Pilgrimage.
Turnbull, Michael. St Andrew – Scotland's Myth and Identity.
Burton, Richard. Pilgrimage to Al-Madine and Meccah.

External links

[1] ttps://www.thewayofstandrews.com/

[2] ttp://www.thewayofstandrews.com/route/routes-and-photos/st-margarets-way/

[3] ttps://www.bikemap.net/en/route/2579281-st-margarets-loop-to-dunfermline/

[4] ttps://www.bikemap.net/en/route/2320042-st-margarets-elbow-via-crail-and-fife-ness-to-st-andrews/

[5] ttps://www.bikemap.net/en/r/2415590/

[6] ttp://www.thewayofstandrews.com/route/routes-and-photos/st-duthacs-way/

[7] ttps://www.bikemap.net/en/route/1946537-edinburgh-east-route-to-rosslyn-chapel/

[8] ttp://www.thewayofstandrews.com/route/routes-and-photos/st-columbas-way/

[9] ttps://www.thewayofstandrews.com/route/routes-and-photos/carlisle-to-st-andrews/

[10] ttp://www.thewayofstandrews.com/route/routes-and-photos/st-wilfrids-way/

[11] ttp://www.thewayofstandrews.com/route/routes-and-photos/the-ladywell-way/

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 In recent years, the Way of St Andrews has seen renewed interested, with a recent revival campaign led by lay volunteers from the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh]]. <ref>https://www.thewayofstandrews.com/</ref>
+== Modern Pilgrims to St Andrews ==
 [[File:Looking towards the ruined cathedral complex of St Andrews dominated by the towers of the eastern end, from the harbour wall constructed from.jpg|thumb|right|Looking towards the ruined cathedral complex of St Andrews]]
-A new route, St Margaret's Way, named after the [[Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland]], was blessed and inaugurated in July 2012 during High Mass in Edinburgh's Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral, and, afterwards, the pilgrims congregated round [[Eduardo Paolozzi]]'s  sculpture, &ldquo;The Big Foot&rdquo;, an allegory for pilgrimage. There were about fifty pilgrims. The pilgrimage finished at St Andrews with an open-air procession and High Mass in the ruins of the cathedral and was covered by the BBC with interviews given by a cardinal and a Presbyterian minister.
+St Margaret's Way, named after the [[Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland]], was blessed and inaugurated in July 2012 during High Mass in Edinburgh's Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral, and, afterwards, the pilgrims congregated round [[Eduardo Paolozzi]]'s  sculpture, &ldquo;The Big Foot&rdquo;, an allegory for pilgrimage. There were about fifty pilgrims. The pilgrimage finished at St Andrews with an open-air procession and High Mass in the ruins of the cathedral and was covered by the BBC with interviews given by a cardinal and a Presbyterian minister.
 == Routes ==