St Magnus Church, Egilsay

St Magnus Church, Egilsay - Historic Scotland Historic Site in Orkney | Trust Quest

About

On the small Orkney island of Egilsay, Earl Magnus met his rival Earl Hakon in about 1116 to settle who should rule Orkney, and the meeting ended in Magnus's murder. Twenty years later he was declared a saint, and this church was probably built soon after on the spot where he is said to have died. After St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall it is the finest Norse church surviving in Scotland, and it stands remarkably complete, though roofless: an eastern chancel with a room above, probably a treasury, a high nave where islanders and pilgrims worshipped, and a tall round bell tower at the west end. The tower once rose nearly 20 m, at least 4 m higher than today, and served as a beacon for pilgrims. The tower is closed for conservation, but the church can be entered. Egilsay is reached by the small Orkney Ferries boat from Tingwall, and the church is half a mile from the pier.

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St Magnus Church, EgilsayOpen all year; an unstaffed open site, no hours published; the round tower is closed for conservation works

Opening times may change at short notice.

Historic Scotland: 'St Magnus Church is free to visit and open year-round. The interior of the tower is not currently accessible.' The round tower is closed for conservation works, with no reopening date; the roofless nave and chancel can be explored. No other notices on 21 October 2026.

The church stands in open farmland near the coast, inside a small graveyard with a war memorial beside it. The St Magnus Way pilgrimage route begins here. No toilets at the church.

Photo: St Magnus Church on Egilsay from the south-east, its tall round tower beside the roofless nave and chancel gables across a green field. WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:00204_Ruins_St_Magnus_Church_of_Scotland,_Egilsay_002.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.

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Walking routes1 route

St Magnus Way: Egilsay (St Magnus Way)

93.3 km

Dog access not confirmed

'Starting on Egilsay, the pilgrimage begins with a journey to three key historical sites of Magnus's martyrdom around the year 1117, St Magnus round towered church, the St Magnus memorial and the beach. The ferry returns you to Tingwall, from where you can either walk or drive to Gurness.' The whole route is 58 miles through Mainland Orkney to Kirkwall in six stages (Orkney.com, 'Walk the St Magnus Way', undated). Free public route; reached by ferry.

St Magnus Church, Egilsay

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