A quarter of a million pounds worth of church collections has been used to pay for a major restoration of Inverness Cathedral.
The Bishop of the mid-19th Century building has labelled it a “biblical step” in preserving the imposing city landmark for future generations.
High-level scaffolding for the project was erected yesterday and repair work to the gutters, roof and towers will take place between now and May.
Water seeping into the A-listed building in recent years has splintered much of the stonework and caused damage to the interior paintwork.
Contractor Laing Traditional Masonry will carry out the repairs.
Yesterday the scaffolding was erected up against the two towers on either side of the front entrance to the Cathedral.
Work will be done in stages around the building to replace gutters, fix stonework on the towers and replace slates on the roofs of the building.
The Cathedral will stay open during the repairs and worshipers can expect some minor disruption during mid-week services.
Bishop Mark Strange said: “It won’t look pretty but at long last we are doing the work that needs to be done.
“I would want to see this as a really positive thing. The building has struggled along with these conditions and now the people who worship here have dug deep.
“The money has been given over hundreds of years in investments, so this is taking a biblical step. We know the building is important to the people of Inverness, so it’s imperative we do it and preserve it for future generations. You can not allow a building of this importance to the Highlands just to rot.
“This is going to have an effect in benefiting the building, and also an effect on the finances of the place for years to come.”
Bishop Strange added that he was unaware of any major renovation to the building but said that it if there has been, it would likely be in the last 40 to 50 years.
Inverness Cathedral was built between 1866 and 1869 by the Inverness architect, Alexander Ross.
It is a prominent building constructed in pink sandstone and stands close to the west bank of the River Ness, looking across the river to the city centre and Inverness Castle.
The Cathedral is Mother Church of the Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness, one of the seven Dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church, which is part of the world-wide Anglican Communion.