The name St Andrews is not the town or church's original name. Originally it was Cellrígmonaid ("church of the king's mounth" hence Cill Rìmhinn) located at Cennrígmonaid ("head of the king's mounth"); hence the town became Kilrymont (i.e. Cellrígmonaid) in the non-Gaelic orthography of the High Middle Ages). Today St Andrews has replaced both Kilrymont (and variants) as well as the older English term Anderston as the name of the town and bishopric.
The bishopric itself originates in the period 700-900, and is the best attested bishopric in Scottish history. By the 11th century, it is clear that it is the most important bishopric in Scotland.
There had been a monastery there since the 8th century. It was probably taken over by Céli Dé monks in the 9th or 10th centuries, and these survive into the 14th century. It is the Gaelic abbey, rather than the continental priory, that the abbot was in charge of; the importance of the Céli Dé abbey has come down into the modern era in the street names of St. Andrews.
Only a few abbots are known. It is often thought that the position of Abbot and Bishop were the same until the Norman era, although that can never be proved for certain.
His death in the Annals of Ulster constitutes our first literary evidence of any religious establishment at St. Andrews (then called by the Scoto-Pictish name Cennrigmonaid).
Unknown number of unnamed abbots
Probably all the bishops before Fothad II, and perhaps before Turgot, were also abbots of the Céli Dé community.
Gille Críst
fl. 1172-1178
That he is called abbot is the proof that the Céli Dé community were maintaining their independence from the priory in the period.
List of known bishops
The pre-11th century "bishop of the Scots" may have had no fixed seat before finally settling at St Andrews.
The Annals of Tigernach place his predecessor's death at 1055, and Bower tells us he was bishop for 4 years, which makes a bishopric of 1055-59 likely, although it is possible that he did not succeed immediately.
He is one of four bishops-elect listed by Bower (Giric, Cathróe, Eadmer and Godric). As the list is in chronological order, only Cathróe can have been bishop elect before Turgot, Eadmer being bishop-elect in 1120, after the death of Turgot.
The bishopric of St Andrews was elevated into an Archbishopric in 1472 by Pope Sixtus IV. The Scottish church broke with Rome in the Scottish Reformation of 1560. From then, until 1689, archbishops are under or supposed to be under the Scottish church.
He was the nephew of Pope Leo X, and appointed by the Pope instead of John Hepburn. Owing to lack of support in Scotland, and exchange was made with Archbishop Forman of Bourges.
Received crown nomination and chapter postulation for translation from bishopric of Aberdeen but died without possession in October 25, 1514. It is not known whether or not the Pope would have accepted his translation.
