St Rules Tower

The place to sightsee, St Rules Tower in St Andrews Cathedral has the best view in town. Its name derives from the town's claim to be the final resting place of the apostle Andrew and the patron saint of Scotland, whose bones were brought under divine guidance from Patras, Greece by St Regulus (St Rule) to Kilrymont. St Andrews was also called Kilrule.

The Priory of Canons Regular of the Order of St Augustine was founded in 1127. The community were for a while associated with the Church of St Regulus or St Rule, of which the 33 m Romanesque tower and choir (1080) still stands to the east of the later Cathedral. It is the oldest surviving building in St Andrews. It was the first place of worship for arriving St Augustine canons. The establishment of the present town began around 1140 by Bishop Robert. The burgh of St Andrews was first represented at the great council at Scone Palace in 1357 and granted a royal charter by King James VI, who used the area around the nearby Falkland Palace for hunting.