A prominent feature of the Edinburgh skyline, St. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Giles' Cathedral or the High Kirk of Edinburgh is a Church of Scotland place of worship decorating the midpoint of the Royal Mile with its highly distinctive hollow-crown tower. The Church of Scotland (Eaglais na h-Alba known informally by its Scots language name The Kirk, is the National church of Scotland. The Royal Mile is the popular name for the succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of Edinburgh's Old Town. The church has been one of Edinburgh's religious focal points for approximately 900 years. Today it is sometimes regarded as the mother church of Presbyterianism. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity [1]
St. Giles was only a cathedral in its formal sense (ie. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral the seat of a bishop) for two periods during the 17th century (1635-38 and 1661-1689), when episcopalianism, backed by the Crown, briefly gained ascendancy within the Kirk (see Bishops Wars). Like most Reformed Churches, the Church of Scotland has a presbyterian structure which invests in a hierarchy of courts the authority which other denominations The monarch of Scotland was the Head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. In the mediaeval period, prior to the reformation, Edinburgh had no cathedral as the royal burgh was part of the Diocese of St Andrews, under the Bishop of St Andrews whose episcopal seat was St Andrew's Cathedral. Christianity in Medieval Scotland pertains to the Christian Religion in Scotland in the Middle Ages. The Scottish Reformation was Scotland 's formal break with the Roman Catholic Church in 1560 and the events surrounding this A royal burgh was a type of Scottish Burgh which had been founded by or subsequently granted a Royal charter. The Bishop of St Andrews (Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese and then as Archbishop of St Andrews (Àrd-easbaig Chill Rìmhinn The Cathedral of St Andrew in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland was the seat of the Bishops (later Archbishops of St Andrews from its For most of its post-reformation history the Church of Scotland has not had bishops, diocese, or cathedrals. The Scottish Reformation was Scotland 's formal break with the Roman Catholic Church in 1560 and the events surrounding this As such, the use of the term Cathedral today carries no practical meaning. The "high kirk" title is older, being attested well before the building's brief stint as a cathedral. Kirk can mean " church " in general or the Church of Scotland in particular
It is the Church of Scotland parish church for part of Edinburgh's Old Town. A parish church, in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a Parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches The Old Town of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Five services are held every Sunday, as well as daily services and special services for state and civic occasions. The current Minister (since 1973) of St. In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform clergy functions such as teaching of beliefs Giles' is the Very Reverend Dr Gilleasbuig Macmillan. Gilleasbuig Iain Macmillan, CVO, FRSE, has served since 1973 as Minister of St Giles' Cathedral, in Edinburgh, Scotland
As the name implies, it is dedicated to St. Giles, who was the patron saint of cripples and lepers and a very popular saint in the Middle Ages. Saint Giles (Αιγίδιος Ægidius Gilles Egidio Egidio Gil c The patron saint of a particular group of people is a Saint who would protect and 'love' the group and its members Leprosy (from the Greek lepi (λέπι meaning scales on a fish or Hansen's disease, is a chronic disease caused by the bacterium The oldest parts of the building are four massive central pillars, often said to date from 1124, although there is very little evidence to this effect. In 1385 the building suffered a fire and was rebuilt in the subsequent years. Much of the current interior dates from this period. Over the years many chapels, referred to as 'aisles', were added, greatly enlarging the church and leaving it rather irregular in plan. In 1466 St Giles was established as a collegiate church. In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the Daily office of worship is maintained by a College of canons; a non-monastic or In response to this raising of status, the lantern tower was added around 1490, and the chancel ceiling raised, vaulted and a clear storey installed. By the middle of the 16th century (before the Reformation) there were about fifty altars in the church. The Scottish Reformation was Scotland 's formal break with the Roman Catholic Church in 1560 and the events surrounding this
St. Giles has both some of the best stained glass windows in Scotland, dating from the 19th and 20th centuries (none survives from the medieval period). For the Blackford Oakes novel see Stained Glass (novel The term stained glass refers either to the material of coloured Glass or to the art Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The most well known windows include the: Victorian Windows, Burne-Jones Window, North Window, and the Burns Window. The Victorian windows were commissioned by Sir William Chambers, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, who spearheaded the (extremely intrusive) restoration of St. William Chambers may refer to William Chambers (architect, 18th century Scottish architect William Chambers (industrialist (1774-1855 Giles in 1872. Until this time St. Giles had, since shortly after the Reformation, consisted of several churches within the main edifice, divided by walls and with galleries inserted into the vaults. The restoration reunified the church into a single space. Tragically, an obsession with a barren 'symmetry' led to the actual demolition of parts of the kirk (notably on the south side, where a number of chapels had been added piecemeal during the late Middle Ages). The exterior of the building, except for the tower and crown spire, was refaced in bland grey sandstone ashlar and standardised 'Gothic' ornament alien to Scottish medieval architecture, which paid scant heed to the original, strikingly individual, appearance of the church. Much of the unique character and historic interest of St. Giles (undisputably one of Scotland's most important - and prominent - historic buildings) were thus recklessly destroyed in a 'restoration' chiefly notable for combining ignorance with arrogance. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The contrast with a recent (late 20th century) sensitive restoration of the crown spire, which included the regilding of various pinnacles and ornaments, could not be more marked.
Happily, the interior of the church retains more of its ancient character, including a wealth of carved ornament, though the walls and vaults have been only partially replastered. The dark stone rubble of the 'scraped' parts of the walls, which were never meant to be seen by the medieval builders, makes the inside needlessly dark (detestably so on overcast days). The cost of the stained glass windows was underwritten by the Lord Provost and other donors. The Edinburgh firm of Ballantine & Son was commissioned for the work. The windows form a continuous narrative over seven windows starting in the north east corner and finishing on the north-west side. One of the last windows of this plan depicts St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, holding his cross with, on either side of him, St. Columba and King David (erroneously labeled St. David). Saint David ( c. 500–589 ('Dewi Sant' was a church official later regarded as a Saint and as the Patron saint of Wales. St. Andrew wears a flowing peacock-blue cassock and his features are modeled after prominent Edinburgh physician James Jamieson. Unusually, this window was funded by a grateful patient who insisted that St. Andrew bore the features of the good doctor. Below St. Andrew are depicted St. Giles, with his hind, and St. Cuthbert. The dedication beneath the St. Andrew window states: James Jamieson Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh and Elder of the Kirk, born 1841, in Bowden, and died 1903.
The Thistle Chapel (1911, by Robert Lorimer) is the chapel of The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Scotland's foremost Order of Chivalry. Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer (1864–1929 was a prolific Scottish Architect noted for his restoration work on Historic houses and Castles, The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an Order of chivalry associated with Scotland. It is a small, but exquisite, chapel with carved and painted fittings of extraordinary detail. The Order, which was founded by James VII in 1687, consists of the monarch and 16 knights. James II of England and Ireland James VII of Scotland (14 October 1633 &ndash 16 September 1701 was King of England, King of Scots, Later that same year James The knights are the personal appointment of the crown, and are normally Scots who have made a significant contribution to national or international affairs. Knights have included Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Lord Mackay of Clashfern and Sir Fitzroy MacLean. Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC (2 July 1903 - 9 October 1995 14th Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 was a British James Peter Hymers Mackay Baron Mackay of Clashfern, KT, PC (born 2 July 1927) is a Scottish Advocate and former Major-General Sir Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean of Dunconnel 1st Baronet KT CBE ( March 11, 1911, Egypt – June 15,
On Sunday 23 July 1637 efforts by King Charles I to impose Anglican services on the Church of Scotland led to the Book of Common Prayer revised for Scottish use being introduced in St Giles'. Events 1632 - Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe France. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs The Book of Common Prayer is the common title of a number of prayer books of the Church of England and used throughout the Anglican Communion. Rioting in opposition began when Dean John Hanna began to read from the new Book of Prayer, legendarily initiated by the market-woman or street-seller Jenny Geddes throwing her stool at his head. Jenny Geddes (c 1600 &ndash c 1660 was a Scottish market-trader in Edinburgh, who is alleged to have thrown her stool at the head of the minister in The disturbances led to the National Covenant and hence the Bishops' Wars; the first part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which included the English Civil War. The Covenanters formed an important movement in the religion and politics of Scotland in the 17th century The Wars of the Three Kingdoms (sometimes known as the Wars of the Three Nations) formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in Scotland, The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. In the late 17th century a carillon was made for the cathedral by James Meikle. A carillon (/kaʁijɔ̃/ /ˈkærɪljɒn/ or /kəˈrɪljən/ is a Musical instrument consisting of at least 23 cast bronze cup-shaped bells which are played On the day in 1707 that the Treaty of Union was signed to merge the Parliament of Scotland with the Parliament of England and create the Kingdom of Great Britain, the carilloner in St Giles rang the bells in the tune Why should I be so sad on my wedding day? [2]
Its many monuments and memorials, as well as its sheer size and location, have made it a very popular tourist attraction, drawing special notice during the annual Edinburgh Festival, which centres on the Royal Mile. The Acts of Union were a pair of Parliamentary Acts passed during 1706 and 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland to put into This article is about the pre-1707 parliament The article on the devolved legislative body established in 1999 is at Scottish Parliament. The Parliament of England was the Legislature of the Kingdom of England. The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for several simultaneous arts and cultural Festivals which take place during August each year in Edinburgh, Notable monuments include those to James Graham, Marquess of Montrose (1612-50), his enemy Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll (1607-61) and Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94) and, in a frame, a copy of the National Convenant of 1638. James Graham may refer to British noblemen James Graham 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612–1650 Scottish nobleman and soldier James The title of Duke of Montrose (named after Montrose, Angus) was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1488 for David Lindsay Archibald Campbell may refer to Archibald Campbell Argyll, one of several Dukes and Earls of Argyll by the same name Arthur Campbell (British The title Duke of Argyll was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the Peerage of the United Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (13 November 1850–3 December 1894 was a Scottish novelist poet and travel writer, and a representative of Neo-romanticism in
Notes
- ^ St. Giles' Cathedral. St. Giles' Cathedral. Retrieved on 2008-04-08. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian
- ^ Notes by John Purser to CD Scotland's Music, Facts about Edinburgh. Dr John Purser, born in 1942 in Glasgow, Scotland, is an eminent composer musicologist historian and writer
See also
External links
- St. Giles' Cathedral website
- St. Giles' Cathedral Independent article and photographs
- St. Giles' at Undiscovered Scotland
- St. Giles' at About Britain
- St. Giles' at The Capital Scot
- EdinPhoto
- The Churches of Edinburgh at ElectricScotland.com
- Edinburgh Architecture - The Royal Mile
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