After the
Scottish Reformation, the
Catholic Church abandoned the hierarchy and for nearly a century Catholics in Scotland were under the jurisdiction of the English
prefects and
vicars apostolic. In 1653, the
Prefecture Apostolic of Scotland was established, which was elevated to the
Vicariate Apostolic in 1694. On 13 February 1827, Scotland was divided again into three vicariates apostolic; the Eastern District (formerly the Lowland District), the Northern District (formerly the Highland District), and the Western District (created from parts of the other two districts). On the
restoration of the Scottish hierarchy by
Pope Leo XIII on 15 March 1878, part of the Eastern District was elevated to the status of a metropolitan archdiocese with the title St Andrews and Edinburgh. ==List of ordinaries==