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St Giles' Cathedral (Scottish Gaelic: Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alterations were undertaken in the 19th and 20th centuries ...
St Giles’ Cathedral, founded in 1124 by King David I, has been a working church for almost 900 years. A backdrop to Scotland’s turbulent religious history, it has seen the seeds of civil war sown and been John Knox’s parish church during the Reformation.
- 1124 – St Giles’ Founded by King David I
- 1322 – St Giles’ Raided
- 1385 – St Giles’ Raided Again by English Army
- 1466 – St Giles’ Becomes Collegiate Church
- 1508 – Gavin Douglas Appointed Provost of St Giles’
- 1558 – St Giles’ Day Riot
- 1559 – John Knox Becomes Minister of St Giles’
- 1560 – Presbyterianism Established in Scotland
- 1637 – King Charles I Attempts to Impose Anglican Worship
- 1638 – National Covenant Signed at Greyfriars Kirk
Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (King David I) founded St Giles’ in 1124, during which time the bond between Rome and the Scottish church was becoming closer. St Giles’ was built on the very eastern edge of Edinburgh and pre-dates most of the Old Town. When David I later founded the Abbey of Holyrood he gave the abbot permission to build houses up the ridge...
In 1320 the Scots signed the Declaration of Arbroath, a letter to the Pope affirming Scotland’s independence from England. Two years later the English King, Edward II, sent an army north with the intention of causing widespread damage. St Giles’, at the time a small Romanesque church, was heavily fire damaged with much of Edinburgh.
In 1384 a meeting of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France met in secret in St Giles’, plotting a raid into England. The following year the English King, Richard II, sent a large army north to destroy St Giles’ and other Scottish churches. Much of the building survived but black marks from the flames could still be seen on pillars until the...
Edinburgh town authorities petitioned for St Giles’ to become a collegiate church, a prestigious status which could only be bestowed by the Pope. Petitions in 1419 and 1423 failed but in 1466 Pope Paul II finally granted collegiate status to St Giles’. To read more about St Giles’ expanding, click here.
The early Scots makar and translator Gavin Douglas became provost of St Giles’ in 1508. His translation of Virgil’s Aeneid into Scots was the first translation of a major classical poem into any modern Germanic language. He completed the Aeneid in 1513, just days before the disastrous Battle of Flodden. All of his literary work was composed during ...
In 1558 Protestantism was beginning to take hold in Scotland. One night a statue of St Giles was stolen from the church, which was still Catholic in practice, and thrown into Edinburgh’s Nor’ Loch, a putrid body of water which once filled Princes Street Gardens. The traditional St Giles’ Day parade was also interrupted by Protestants trying to brea...
John Knoxwas a Scottish priest who converted to Protestantism in the 1540s and fled into hiding and exile. In Geneva he befriended the French reformer John Calvin. On his return to Scotland he marched an army of followers into St Giles’ and preached there for the first time. The following week he was elected its minister and the building was stripp...
The Scottish Parliament abolished papal authority in 1560 and decreed that Scotland was now a Protestant country. This was despite Scotland still having a Catholic queen, Mary Queen of Scots. St Giles’ 400 years as a Catholic church officially came to an end. Inside the building the stained-glass windows were removed and old church silver was melte...
Scotland and England began to share the same monarch following the 1603 Union of the Crowns, though the two countries still had separate legislatures. In 1637 King Charles I attempted to draw the Scottish church, which was Presbyterian, into line with the English church, which was Anglican. Scottish opposition came to the boil when Charles I attemp...
Charles I’s leading opponents in Scotland met at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, not far from St Giles’, to sign the National Covenant. The Covenanterscalled for religious freedoms and for the independence of the Scottish church to be maintained. During the subsequent Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a captured royalist named Sir John Gordon of Haddo was ...
May 13, 2021 · St Giles’ Cathedral (also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh) is a 14th century church in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The cathedral is closely associated with many events and figures in Scottish history, including John Knox, who was the church’s minister after the Scottish Reformation.
We want to make sure everyone is able to visit St Giles’ and enjoy the building’s atmosphere and history. Please visit our Access page for more information. Getting Here
Oct 22, 2020 · St. Giles Cathedral is a 900-year-old place of worship and a popular tourist attraction on the Royal Mile. Learn about its history, architecture, and connection to John Knox, and enjoy its free guided tours and stunning crown spire.
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Learn about 1,000 years of Scottish history at St Giles', the 'Mother Kirk' of Scotland and the centre of the Reformation. Explore the stained-glass windows, the Thistle Chapel, the organ and more in this beautiful cathedral on the Royal Mile.
