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- This article is on the diocese of the Scottish Episcopal Church; for the Catholic diocese, see Diocese of Argyll and the Isles (Catholic).
The Diocese of Argyll and the Isles is in the west of Scotland, and is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is perhaps the largest of the dioceses, but has the smallest number of church members. It covers Argyll and Bute, the Isle of Arran, Lochaber, the Isle of Skye and the rest of the Hebrides. As a united diocese, Argyll and the Isles has two cathedrals: St John's in Oban and the Cathedral of the Isles in Millport, Isle of Cumbrae.
The Diocese of the Isles, by itself, was founded by Patrick in 900, and the Diocese of Argyll was founded by Bishop Harald in 1193. During the Scottish Reformation, most of the heritage and jurisdiction of the church was given to the Church of Scotland. However, the small Scottish Episcopal Church has maintained the line of bishops of both dioceses through to the present day. In the seventeenth century, the Diocese of the Isles was united with the dioceses of Caithness and Orkney, and, in 1819, was separated from them to unite with the Diocese of Argyll. In 1878, the Roman Catholic Church created a Diocese of Argyll and the Isles. The current Bishop of Argyll and the Isles is the Right Reverend Martin Shaw.
The Diocese of Argyll and the Isles is twinned with the Anglican Diocese of Zanzibar (Anglican Church of Tanzania) and the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware (Episcopal Church of the United States of America).
