St John's Cathedral or the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

''Ard-eaglais Eòin an Diadhair'') is a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

of the

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland. A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...

, located in the town of

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, ...

. It is one of the two cathedrals of the Diocese of Argyll and The Isles, and one of the sees of the Bishop of Argyll and The Isles. Cathedral of St John the Divine - Ard-eaglais Eòin an Diadhair - geograph

Cathedral of St John the Divine - Ard-eaglais Eòin an Diadhair - geograph

The MacDougalls of Dunollie and Campbells of Dunstaffnage began the project to build an episcopal church in Oban in 1846. The first church was completed in 1864. The committee for the erection of the church appointed Charles Wilson as the architect, but following his death, the work was entrusted to his successor, David Thomson of the architectural practice Heath Wilson & David Thomson, Glasgow. As the Bishop of Argyll and The Isles Dr. Alexander Ewing was in Europe on account of his health, the church was consecrated by the

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Rt. Revd Archibald Campbell Tait on Thursday 22 September 1864. It was described as being of small dimensions, consisting only of a nave and chancel, the total length being inside. The east window was filled with painted glass and donated by Sir Donald Campbell, 3rd Baronet of Dunstaffnage in memory of his brother Sir Angus. The rose window in the western gable was filled with painted glass, the gift of David Hutcheson. The contractors for the building were John McCorquodale for masonry, Andrew Fairgrieve for plumbing, Hugh Brown for slating, George McAlpine for plastering, Charles McLaren for glazing, R. Reguson & Sons for painting, and G. Smith & Co for ironwork. The cost of the first phase of the building was around £1,400 (). In 1882 a side aisle was added to the south of the 1864 building. The 1910 additions were by architect James Chalmers of Glasgow. Funds ran out before construction finished – thus we are left with a unique Cathedral (designated as such in 1920 ) with each phase clearly visible in the Cathedral you see today and the steel girders still supporting the incomplete vision of a grand structure. A screen was added in 1958 designed by

Ian Gordon Lindsay Ian Gordon Lindsay (29 July 1906 – 28 August 1966) was a Scottish architect. He was most noted for his numerous restoration projects, sometimes of whole villages but curiously was also involved in the design of several hydro-electric power sta ...

List of rectors and provosts

*1859-1880: Robert Jackson MacGeorge *1881-1896: Arthur Ingelby (formerly curate of Hawley, Hampshire) * 1896-1930: Charles Pressley Smith * 1930-1942: George Preston Tonge (formerly Rector of Christ Church, Falkirk) * 1959–1979:

Charles Copland Charles MacAlester Copland was an Anglican priest. Born into an ecclesiastical family on 5 April 1910 and educated at Denstone College, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and Ripon College Cuddesdon, he was ordained in 1934 and began his career ...

(formerly Canon of St Mary's Episcopal Church, Arbroath) * 1980-1986: Nigel Abbott (former Vicar of Holy Trinity Coventry) * 2000–2012:

Norman MacCallum Norman Donald MacCallum was the Dean of Argyll and The Isles in the Scottish Episcopal Church. Born on 26 April 1947 and educated at the University of Edinburgh he was ordained in 1972 and began his career with the Livingston Ecumenical Ex ...

* 2012–2017:

Nicki McNelly Nicola McNelly (née Calder; born 1 May 1962) is a British Anglican priest. From 2012 to 2017, she was the Provost of St John's Cathedral, Oban in the Scottish Episcopal Church. Since 2017, she has been Rector of St Cuthbert's Episcopal Church, ...

* 2018 - 2022: Margi Campbell * 2022 - present:

Shona McKenzie Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people * Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today Shona may also refer to: * ''Shona'' (album), 1994 album by New Zealand singer Shona Laing * Shona (given name) ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's Cathedral, Oban

Churches in Argyll and Bute Category C listed buildings in Argyll and Bute Listed cathedrals in Scotland Religion in Oban

List of rectors and provosts

See also

References