Church sights in Edinburgh
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St Giles Cathedral
Dominating High St is the great grey bulk of St Giles Cathedral. Properly called the High Kirk of Edinburgh (it was only a true cathedral – the seat of a bishop – from 1633 to 1638 and from 1661 to 1689), St Giles Cathedral was named after the patron saint of cripples and beggars. A Norman-style church was built here in 1126 but was destroyed by English invaders in 1385; the only substantial remains are the central piers that support the tower.
The present church dates largely from the 15th century – the beautiful crown spire was completed in 1495 – but much of it was restored in the 19th century. The interior lacks grandeur but is rich in history: St Giles was at th…
reviewed
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B
Greyfriars Kirk
Candlemaker Row leads from the eastern end of the Grassmarket towards one of Edinburgh's most famous churches. Greyfriars Kirk was built on the site of a Franciscan friary and opened for worship on Christmas Day 1620. In 1638 the National Covenant was signed here, rejecting Charles I's attempts to impose episcopacy and a new English prayer book, and affirming the independence of the Scottish Church. Many who signed were later executed at the Grassmarket and, in 1679, 1200 Covenanters were held prisoner in terrible conditions in the southwestern corner of the kirkyard. There's a small exhibition inside the church.
Surrounding the church, hemmed in by high walls and overlook…
reviewed
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C
Mansfield Place Church
In complete contrast to the austerity of most of Edinburgh's religious buildings, this 19th-century, neo-Romanesque church at the foot of Broughton St contains a remarkable series of Renaissance-style frescos painted in the 1890s by Irish-born artist Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852–1936). Now undergoing restoration, the murals are on view to the public at certain times (check the website for any changes).
reviewed
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D
Canongate Kirk
Downhill from Huntly House is the attractive curved gable of the Canongate Kirk, built in 1688. The kirkyard contains the graves of several famous people, including the economist Adam Smith , author of The Wealth of Nations; Mrs Agnes MacLehose (the 'Clarinda' of Robert Burns' love poems); and the 18th-century poet Robert Fergusson (1750–74). Fergusson was much admired by Robert Burns, who paid for the gravestone and penned the epitaph – take a look at the inscription on the back.
reviewed
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E
Highland Tolbooth Kirk
Edinburgh's tallest spire (71.7m) is at the foot of Castlehill and is a prominent feature of the Old Town's skyline. The interior has been refurbished and it now houses the Hub, the ticket office and information centre for the Edinburgh Festival. There's also a good cafe here.
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