The Orkney Islands: are found off the northern tip of Scotland where the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean come together. Orkney is made up of over 67 islands. The exact amount of islands is difficult to count since many are skerries - small uninhabited islets. About 20 of the 67 islands are inhabited. With a latitude of 59 degrees north, which is only about 50 miles south of Greenland, Orkney is, at its widest, 30 miles from east to west and 50 miles north to south. With a total coastline of approximately 570 miles, the islands cover an area of 975 square kilometers (376 square miles), more than half of which is taken up by the Mainland, the group's largest island. Even though this group of Islands is small, they are rich in religious history and important religious sites. St. Magnus Cathedral, the Italian Chapel, the Earl's Palace, Corrigall Farm Museum, and Skara Brae are located on this small community of Islands.
St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall
The Romanesque interior of St. Magnus' Cathedral, ...
St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Scotland.St. Magnus Cathedral was a place for pilgrimage for many years and is still a tourist attraction for people who visit Orkney. The Cathedral is located in Kirkwall and towers over the small town. The Cathedral was built to store the relics of St. Magnus , which made it an attraction to the pilgrims. A pilgrim is a person who travels to a religious site as an act of devotion to his/her religion. Although this practice has stopped, the Cathedral does draw about 55,000 tourists a year.
The Italian Chapel was built by Italian Prisoners of War during the Second World War. At its peak, over 200 Italian prisoners were kept here during the War and using their scarce resources these prisoners built the Chapel. This Chapel is a symbol that even in the darkest...