Description of the attraction
St Andrew's Castle (St Andrews) is now a picturesque ruin on the North Sea coast in St Andrews, Scotland. Once it was an excellently fortified, powerful castle, standing on a rocky promontory. The fortress was built at the end of the 12th century by Bishop Roger. The city's treasury was kept here, Scottish bishops lived here, since for many years St. Andrews was considered the religious capital of Scotland.
During the Scottish Wars of Independence in the 14th century, the castle changed hands many times. It was destroyed and rebuilt by both the British and the Scots. At the end of the 14th century, Bishop Walter Trail restored and completely reconstructed the castle. Under the northwestern tower, in the thickness of the rock, a bottle-shaped dungeon is made, which is used as a prison for especially important and dangerous criminals.
During the Scottish Reformation, the castle became the center of religious persecution and conflict. Political prisoners were held in the castle, executions were carried out here.
The walls were fortified and could withstand numerous artillery attacks, but despite this, English Protestants and Scottish Catholics, and, later, Scottish Protestants gave way and conquered the castle. It was at this time that the trenches were made under the castle, which are now open to tourists.
After the war, the castle gradually fell into decay and collapsed to such an extent that in 1656 the city council allowed to take stones from there for the construction of the pier.
To date, only a part of the southern wall, a square tower, a kitchen tower, a "bottle" dungeon and underground passages have survived from the once powerful fortress.
