In search of Saintly treasure

Could “lost treasure” – including the relics of Scotland’s patron saint – lie hidden beneath the ruins of St Andrews Cathedral? Michael Alexander investigates

In the middle of the Jannettas Gelateria cafe in St Andrews’ South Street on a Wednesday afternoon, Rick Falconer enthusiastically contrasts the modern day “magnetism” of the town’s tourism with the medieval allure of the cathedral which attracted an estimated 20 million pilgrims from across Europe between the 14th and 16th centuries.

The author and ghost tour guide, who describes himself as an “openminded sceptic” when it comes to the paranormal, is talking about the “sheer impact of emotion” of those who travelled hundreds or thousands of miles to “atone for their sins”.

He also speculates how this energy could have left its mark on the very fabric of the town when cathedral stone was quarried for many buildings after the Reformation.

Whether you believe that religion – or indeed the paranormal – is fact, fiction or fantasy, there’s no disputing that in medieval times, St Andrews Cathedral was the greatest seat of Catholic power in Europe outside of Rome.

Taking 158 years to build before being dedicated on July 5 1318 in a ceremony before King Robert I, it became the centre of the medieval Catholic Church in Scotland and remains the largest church to have been built north of the border.

The two main pilgrimage routes in Europe outside of Rome were St Andrews and Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

With Saint Andrew being the patron saint of Scotland as well as other countries including Greece, Romania and Russia, the directive back then from the Catholic church was that pilgrims came to be blessed by the healing powers of the saints as an atonement for their sins.

“At the time, St Andrews Cathedral held the largest collection of medieval art in Scotland and was full of white marble, 30 altars, a large statue of Christ up at the high altar, and there was a chest that weighed 1.5 tonnes containing the relics of Saint Andrew,” says Rick.

“It was a massive money-making venture on the part of the Catholic Church,” he adds.

But in 1559, during the Scottish Reformation, everything changed.

As waves of disgruntlement against the Catholic Church grew across Europe following decades of martyrdom by opponents, John Knox preached his now famous “fiery sermon” in St Andrews parish church, and the cathedral was “cleansed” as a result.

History records it was robbed of its prized possessions after being stormed by a local mob. Then by 1561 it had been abandoned and left to fall into ruin – the start of a period which then saw St Andrews itself go into three centuries of relative decline as the pilgrims, and indeed the merchants, stopped coming.

At about the end of the 16th Century the cathedral’s central tower apparently gave way, carrying with it the north wall.

Afterwards large portions of the ruins were taken away for building purposes, and nothing was done to preserve

At the time St Andrews Cathedral held the largest collection of medieval art in Scotland and was full of white marble