Elgin Cathedral, sometimes called The Lantern of the North, is a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, north-east Scotland. The cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was established in 1224 on land granted by Alexander II that was close to the River Lossie and outside the burgh of Elgin. Elgin Cathedral replaced a smaller cathedral, located at Spynie, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the north, which was served by a chapter of eight clerics. The new enlarged cathedral was staffed with 18 canons in 1226 and then increased to 23 by 1242. After a damaging fire in 1270 a major rebuilding programme greatly increased the size of the building. It was unaffected by the Wars of Independence but again suffered extensive fire damage in 1390 following an attack by Robert III's brother Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, known as the Wolf of Badenoch. In 1402 the cathedral precinct again endured an incendiary attack by the followers of the Lord of the Isles. The number of clerics required to staff the cathedral continued to grow, as did the quantity of craftsmen needed to maintain the buildings and surrounds. The number of canons had increased to 25 by the time of the Scottish Reformation in 1560 when the cathedral was abandoned and its services transferred to Elgin's parish church of St Giles. After the removal of the lead from the roof in 1567, the cathedral fell steadily into decay. Its deterioration was arrested in the 19th century, by which time the building was in a substantially ruinous condition.

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