St Paul's Cathedral, Dundee

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St Paul's Cathedral is an Episcopal Cathedral in the city of Dundee, Scotland. It is the Cathedral and administrative centre of the Diocese of Brechin.

[edit] Castle

Built on the site of the medieval seat of power in the area, the castle which formerly stood on the site had been besieged by the armies of William Wallace, Andrew de Moray and later by Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The stronghold was destroyed during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A small portion of the castle still remains within the Cathedral grounds. During the building of modern offices on Exchange Street behind the cathedral workers discovered remains of the castle in the form of a crypt-like structure underground. It is thought that the site may have borne fortifications from as far back as 80AD.

[edit] Church

The foundation stone of the Cathedral was laid on July 21, 1853 and it was completed in 1855. It was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and is in the style of the Middle or Decorated period of Gothic architecture.

In 1847, Alexander Penrose Forbes was elected new Bishop of Brechin who chose to make Dundee his permanent residence.

At the time of Bishop Forbes' arrival, St Paul's Chapel met in rooms in nearby Castle Street, which Forbes considered to be dreary and "unworthy of the worship of the Almighty". Thus, he "urged his people to take on the holy work of building, to the glory of God, a stately church", a place which would offer refuge to the many poor that lived in the surrounding tenements.

The total cost of the building was £14,000 and it took the congregation 10 years after its completion to pay off all the debts incurred. The church was dedicated on All Saints Day, November 1, 1865.

St Paul's was raised to Cathedral status in 1905 and is now a Grade A listed building.