Columns - SMC054
A column is a cylindrical and slightly tapered pillar which bears a load and serves as a support to a portion of a building. A column consists of a base, a shaft and a capital.

Columns were used in the construction of many parts of St Magnus Cathedral, internally and externally. They can be found at all levels of the building but the most accessible and visually striking are those used in the doorways of the west front.

The columns of St Magnus Cathedral, which frame the windows and doors, seem to be mainly ornamental rather than load bearing. The main loads being supported by the great cylindrical and rectangular piers, and the buttressing.


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