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There has been worship at Dunblane since roughly 602 when followers of Saint Blane introduced Christianity to the area, bringing with them the relics of Saint Blane. Some of the existing cathedral building dates from the 12th century, but most of what currently stands was constructed during the bishopric of Clement in the 13th century.
The Roman Catholic Bishopric was founded by the Earl of Strathearn, in c.1150 (although there were Celtic or Culdee Bishops before this date), but the first Roman Bishops found very little in the way of buildings in the area and therefore, were not able to accomplish much. When Clement (c.1200-1258), a Friar of the Dominican order in Paris who is said to have been born in Scotland, was appointed Bishop in 1233. It is possible that he found standing only the tower and an incomplete church attached to it. This Church he removed in order to build a larger. Clement complained to Pope Gregor IX (c.1170-1241) that the Cathedral was largely unbuilt and did not even adequate sleeping arrangements. There was also not enough money in the area to support a Bishopric and services were only conducted by a rural chaplain. It was then decided that a new church would be built and in 1237, the Pope authorised the Bishops of Glasgow and Dunkeld to visit Dunblane, and, if they saw fit, to give to the Bishop of Dunblane a fourth of the tithes of the churches of the diocese, so that he may build his Cathedral and organise his diocese. With all that was granted to him, Clement was able to build the Lady Chapel and most of the Cathedral as it stands today before his death in 1258 (possibly on 19th March). The new Cathedral consisted of the original six-storey high tower; a six-bay, aisle-less chancel, with a sacristy and chapter house along its north side; and an eight-bay aisled nave. From this point until the Reformation that took place 300 years later, the Cathedral was gradually filled with more extravagant and elaborate furnishings.
In 1560, the church became reformed, or Protestant, which altered its use dramatically. During this period only the choir was used for worship and the roof of the nave fell in towards the end of the 16th century; it remained roofless for 300 years during which time the congregation worshipped in the Choir.
Architect James Gillespie Graham (1776-1885) of Dunblane restored the chancel in 1816 and in 1889, further restoration of the Cathedral began under the guidance of Scottish Victorian Architect, Sir Robert Rowand Anderson (1834-1921) when the nave was re-roofed, allowing public worship to resume in 1893. Further restoration was again carried out in 1914 under the supervision of architect Sir Robert Lorimer of Edinburgh (1864-1929).
Dunblane Cathedral is located on the Cross overlooking the Allan Water and surrounded by a churchyard that includes the grave of William Stirling, a gunner in the Royal Marine Artillery during World War I. There are also remains of the vaults of the episcopal palace to the south of the Cathedral.
As of today, Dunblane Cathedral is one of seven churches in Dunblane and is now cared for by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), it is technically no longer a cathedral as there are no bishops in the Church of Scotland. One notable congregant was the artist, Helen A Lamb (1956-2017), who was well known nationally for her artwork that included baptismal rolls, scrolls and memorials, and many fine examples of her work appear within the Cathedral itself. The Cathedral also contains memorials to the victims of the 1996 Dunblane Massacre in the south aisle and churchyard including a standing stone by the monumental sculptor Richard Kindersley (b.1939). Dunblane was part of historic Perthshire, but is now part of the Stirling Council area. The Cathedral was part of the historic Presbytery of Dunblane and now lies within Stirling Presbytery.
The Leighton Library, also on the Cross in Dunblane, was built to house the books of Bishop Robert Leighton (1611-1674), who was the Bishop of Dunblane from 1662-1671 and is the oldest purpose-built library in Scotland, dating back to 1687 having been restored in the 1980s. It contains a collection of around 4000 volumes and 78 manuscripts from the 16th to the 19th century. A lending list for the Leighton Library is included within the Dunblane Cathedral Kirk Session minutes.
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Dunblane
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ISAAR(CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families, International Council on Archives (2nd edition, 2003); Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names, National Council on Archives (1997)
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Created 04 Jun 2014, Revised 24 May 2022