68-464: St Paul's and St George's Church (known colloquially as "Ps and Gs") is an evangelical church of the Scottish Episcopal Church in central Edinburgh , Scotland . It is located on the corner of Broughton Street and York Place in the east end of Edinburgh's New Town , and is protected as a category A listed building . The building was erected as St Paul's Church, replacing a chapel in
136-559: A Scottish version of the Book of Common Prayer , written by a group of Scottish prelates, most notably the Archbishop of St Andrews , John Spottiswoode , and the Bishop of Ross , John Maxwell , and edited for printing by the Archbishop of Canterbury , William Laud ; it was a combination of Knox's Book of Common Order , which was in use before 1637, and English liturgy in hopes of further unifying
204-404: A crenellated parapet . The interior consists of a long nave flanked by tall aisles and arched stone columns. On the north wall is a stone tabernacle topped with a Gothic ogee arch , designed by David Bryce . There are marble monuments by Scottish sculptors Sir John Steell and David Watson Stevenson . In 1891–2, the east end of the church was extended by Peddie and Kinnear , turning
272-442: A "continuing decline in overall numbers", and in almost identical language it was reported in 2018 that the church faced "continuing decline in members and attendance". By the end of 2020 numbers had fallen further to 27,600 (membership) and 19,800 (communicants). No meaningful attendance figures could be produced due to the legal restrictions on church attendance introduced in response to Covid-19 . By 2021 membership had fallen by
340-471: A Chapel into a Church. The Chancel was built, extending the Church eastwards and the door into the Church was moved further West along York Place to where the red door now is. An Episcopalian chapel already existed on York Place, St George's, built in 1794 by James Adam. In 1932 the two neighbouring congregations amalgamated at St Paul's, which was renamed St Paul's and St George's Church. The old St George's Church
408-563: A distinct society. However, matters were still complicated by a considerable, though declining, number of Episcopalian incumbents holding parish churches. Moreover, the Jacobitism of the non-jurors provoked a state policy of repression in 1715 and 1745, and fostered the growth of new Hanoverian congregations, using the English Prayer Book (served by clergy who had been ordained by a bishop but amenable to none), who qualified themselves under
476-474: A former moderate Covenanter and Resolutioner , was appointed Archbishop of St Andrews and primate of Scotland in 1661. He was reviled by Covenanters, and his murder in 1679 led to an escalation of hostilities. In 1707 Scotland and England were merged into a single Kingdom of Great Britain . The Scottish Episcopalians Act of 1711 protected the Episcopal Church, which marked its virtual incorporation as
544-505: A further 32% from 2012 levels, to just over 24000. At the close of 2022, the denomination had 278 congregations. The statistics for the denomination, by their dioceses were as follows: In recent decades, the Scottish Episcopal Church has taken a left-of-centre stand on various political issues including economic justice, the ordination of women and "inclusion". A church canon was altered to allow same-sex marriage after it
612-638: A procedure involving clergy and laity of the vacant diocese voting at an electoral synod . The church is composed of seven dioceses, each with its own bishop: All sees except Edinburgh (founded by Charles I ) stem from sees of the Catholic Church in Scotland. The bishops of the Episcopal Church are direct successors of the prelates consecrated to Scottish sees at the Restoration. The bishops are addressed Right Reverend . The College of Bishops constitutes
680-607: A process known as Mission 21 . Canon Alice Mann of the Alban Institute was invited to begin developing a missionary emphasis within the congregations of the church throughout Scotland. This led to the development of the Making Your Church More Inviting programme which has now been completed by many congregations. In addition to working on making churches more inviting, Mission 21 emphasises reaching out to new populations which have previously not been contacted by
748-617: A process of Protestant reform led, among others, by John Knox . It reformed its doctrines and government, drawing on the principles of John Calvin which Knox had been exposed to while living in Switzerland . In 1560, the Scottish Parliament abolished papal jurisdiction and approved Calvin's Confession of Faith, but did not accept many of the principles laid out in Knox's First Book of Discipline , which argued, among other things, that all of
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#1733085705669816-496: A result of the change in churchmanship to a more Evangelical style. Past rectors of St Paul's (and later St Paul's and St George's) Church have included: ? Wilson -1897 Earnest Hilton Molesworth 1897-1905 St Paul's and St George's Church is a noted structure in the early part of Edinburgh's New Town , and stands out as one of the few Gothic Revival buildings in an area largely made up of Georgian Neoclassical architecture . The Scottish architect Archibald Elliot began work on
884-475: A sovereign they regarded as legitimate (see Jacobitism ). A few prelates, known as college bishops , were consecrated without sees, to preserve the succession rather than to exercise a defined authority. At length the hopelessness of the Stuart cause and the growth of congregations outside the establishment forced the bishops to dissociate canonical jurisdiction from royal prerogative and to reconstitute for themselves
952-518: A territorial episcopate. The Scottish Book of Common Prayer came into general use at start of the reign of William and Mary . The Scottish Communion Office, compiled by the non-jurors in accordance with primitive models, has had a varying co-ordinate authority, and the modifications of the English liturgy that would be adopted by the American Church were mainly determined by its influence. Among
1020-428: A theological college for the whole of the Scottish Episcopal Church, was founded in 2015. It provides training for both lay ministers and ordained clergy. As an episcopal denomination, the church is governed by bishops, differentiating it from the national Church of Scotland which is presbyterian and governed by elders. However, unlike the Church of England, the bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church are elected in
1088-564: Is Mark Strange , who was elected on 27 June 2017. The Primus does not have any metropolitan jurisdiction—the last to hold such jurisdiction was Archbishop Arthur Rose (of St Andrews) up to his death in 1704. The Primus is addressed Most Reverend . The church is governed by the General Synod . This consists of the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity. The General Synod makes canon law , administers finance and monitors
1156-609: Is a Christian denomination in Scotland. Scotland's third largest church, the Scottish Episcopal Church has 303 local congregations. It is also an ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion . A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by James VI , and as it was from the Restoration of Charles II to the re-establishment of Presbyterianism in Scotland following the Glorious Revolution , it recognises
1224-422: Is appointed by the bishop, and, on the voidance of the see , summons the diocesan synod, at the instance of the primus, to choose a bishop. Each diocese has one or more (in the case of some united dioceses) cathedrals . The senior priest of a Scottish Episcopal cathedral is styled as provost (as the title of "dean" is given to the senior priest of the diocese as a whole, see above). The only exception in Scotland
1292-527: Is being placed on these orders to work collaboratively within the wider ministry of the whole people of God. In addition to the Scottish Prayer Book of 1929, the church has a number of other liturgies available to it. In recent years, revised Funeral Rites have appeared, along with liturgies for Christian Initiation (e.g. Baptism and Affirmation ) and Marriage . The modern Eucharistic rite (Scottish Liturgy 1982) includes Eucharistic prayers for
1360-527: Is checked by reason. The Scottish Episcopal Church has been involved in Scottish politics . The church was one of the parties involved in the Scottish Constitutional Convention , which laid the groundwork for the creation of the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999. Canon Kenyon Wright of the Episcopal Church chaired the convention (1989–1999). The church actively supports the work of
1428-495: Is led by a Primus, who is elected from the seven Bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church from among their number to serve as a ‘ primus inter pares ’ or ‘first among equals’ as the Senior Bishop. The current primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church is Mark Strange , elected in 2017. In terms of official membership, Episcopalians constitute well under 1 per cent of the population of Scotland, making them considerably smaller than
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#17330857056691496-639: Is still operational but is no longer used. In the later years of the 20th century, numbers attending St Paul's and St George's had dwindled. In 1985, the Bishop of Edinburgh Alastair Haggart installed Rev Roger Simpson as rector and members from the Evangelical Episcopal Church of St Thomas in Corstorphine came to the York Place church. Within 10 years, the church congregation had grown significantly as
1564-673: Is the Cathedral of the Isles on the island of Great Cumbrae which has been led by a member of the clergy styled as Precentor . Diocesan deans and cathedral provosts are both addressed as Very Reverend . The Scottish Episcopal Church is mainly in the High Church (or Anglo-Catholic ) tradition. It embraces three orders of ministry: deacon, priest (referred to in the Scottish Prayer Book as presbyter) and bishop. Increasingly, an emphasis
1632-457: The Cowgate . It was designed by Archibald Elliot between 1816 and 1818, and was extended by Peddie and Kinnear in the 1890s. In 1932 the congregation merged with that of St George's Church, also located on York Place. The York Place tram stop is near to the church building. The east window is by Francis Eginton of Birmingham . In 2008 a £5.6 million building project to improve facilities in
1700-594: The Irish Rebellion of 1641 and the already increasingly uncooperative English Parliament into likewise declaring war on the king in the English Civil War . As a result of the weakness of the king, Presbyterian Covenanters were able to become the de facto government in Scotland until disagreement between the Scottish and English Parliaments over how to run Britain in terms of both civil and religious governance after
1768-693: The Kintyre peninsula, near Southend . However, being still in sight of his native land he moved further north along the west coast of Scotland. He was granted land on the island of Iona off the Isle of Mull which became the centre of his evangelising mission to the Picts . However, there is a sense in which he did not leave his native people, as the Irish Gaels had been colonising the west coast of Scotland for some time. The Scottish Catholic Church would continue to grow in
1836-588: The Parliament of Scotland pass the Black Acts , appointing two bishops and administering the Church of Scotland under direct royal control. This met vigorous opposition and he was forced to concede that the General Assembly should continue to run the church. Calvinists who disliked the more ceremonious style of liturgy were opposed by an Episcopalian faction. After ascending to the English throne in 1603 James stopped
1904-580: The archbishop of Canterbury of the Church of England as president of the Anglican Instruments of Communion , but without jurisdiction in Scotland per se . Additionally, while the British monarch holds the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England, in Scotland the monarch maintains private links to both the Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church. The church
1972-412: The " English Kirk ", but this can cause offence. This is probably in part due to the fact that it is, nonetheless, a union of the non-juring Episcopalians with the " qualified congregations " who worshipped according to the liturgy of the Church of England. It is also sometimes known as the " Laird's Kirk " because of its historical associations with the landed aristocracy of Scotland whose membership of
2040-559: The (Anglican) Church of England and the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland. When the revised Book of Common Prayer was used for the first time during worship on 23 July 1637 in St Giles' Edinburgh, it sparked a riot which was so representative of the strength of popular feeling in Scotland that it indirectly precipitated the Bishops' Wars and this successful challenge of royal authority helped encourage many unhappy Irish Catholics into partaking in
2108-563: The 1689 refusal of the Scottish bishops to swear allegiance to William of Orange whilst James VII lived and had not abdicated, the Presbyterian polity was finally re-established in the Church of Scotland. However, the Comprehension Act of 1690 allowed Episcopalian incumbents, upon taking the Oath of Allegiance , to retain their benefices, though excluding them from any share in the government of
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2176-466: The Church of Scotland or Catholic Church in Scotland. The membership of the church in 2023 was 23,503, of which 16,605 were communicant members. The attendance at Sunday worship, as counted on Sunday next before Advent was 8,815. This compares with the figures from six years previously, in 2017, where church membership had been 30,909, of whom 22,073 were communicant members, and there was a Sunday worship attendance of 12,149. The Scottish Episcopal Church
2244-474: The Church of Scotland without a further declaration of Presbyterian principles. Many " non-jurors " also succeeded for a time in retaining the use of the parish churches. The excluded Scottish bishops were slow to organise the Episcopalian remnant under a jurisdiction independent of the state, regarding the then arrangements as provisional, and looking forward to a reconstituted national Episcopal Church under
2312-425: The Church of Scotland. In 2012 the church had 310 parishes with an adult membership of 34,916 and communicant numbers some 10,000 fewer at 24,650. As with other churches in Scotland, attendance has declined over recent years: the overall figures reflect rises in some dioceses and decline in others, but amount to an overall fall in attendance of 15 per cent between 2007 and 2012. The church's 2016 annual report noted
2380-608: The Cowgate Chapel is in the Vestry. The organ, by John Snetzler , was originally in the Cowgate Chapel, but was rebuilt in the York Place building by J Bruce in 1818. After several refurbishments, it was enlarged by Harrison & Harrison in 1906. On the North-East corner there is a bell tower with a single bell, moved there in 1818, originally one of a peal of 3 bought for the coronation of Charles I at Holyrood Abbey in 1633. The bell
2448-458: The Episcopal Church in the United States owes as much of its origins to the Scottish Episcopal Church as to the Church of England. The Theological College was founded in 1810, incorporated with Trinity College, Glenalmond , in 1848, and re-established at Edinburgh in 1876. Theological training is now provided by the various dioceses and is supervised by Scottish Episcopal Institute (formerly,
2516-624: The General Assembly from meeting, increased the number of Scottish bishops and in 1618 held a General Assembly in Perth ; this gathering adopted Five Articles of Episcopalian practices. Many Scottish church leaders, and their congregations, responded to the Five Articles with boycotts and disdain. James's son Charles I was crowned in Holyrood Abbey , Edinburgh , in 1633 with full Anglican rites. Subsequently, in 1637, Charles attempted to introduce
2584-410: The Scottish Episcopal Church to hold both primate and metropolitan titles was Arthur Rose, Archbishop of St Andrews, up to his death in 1704. The last bishop to exercise metropolitan authority was Alexander Rose, Bishop of Edinburgh, up to his death in 1720. In terms of official membership, Episcopalians constitute well under 1 per cent of the population of Scotland, making them considerably smaller than
2652-571: The Theological Institute of the Scottish Episcopal Church). In 1900 the church had 356 congregations, with a total membership of 124,335 and 324 working clergy. Membership did not grow in the following decades as it was believed it would. In 1989 there were approximately 200 stipendiary and 80 non-stipendiary clergy. Membership was 65,000, with 31,000 communicants. In 1995, the Scottish Episcopal Church began working through
2720-472: The act of 1711. This act was further modified in 1746 and 1748 to exclude clergy ordained in Scotland. These causes reduced the Episcopalians who, by 1689, had been a large section of the population to a minority, save in a few corners of the west and north-east of Scotland. Their official recognition of George III , on the death of Charles Edward Stuart in 1788, removed the chief bar to progress. In 1792
2788-505: The assets of the old church should pass to the new. The 1560 Reformation Settlement was not ratified by the crown for some years, and the question of church government also remained largely unresolved. In 1572 the acts of 1560 were finally approved by the young James VI , but under pressure from many of the nobles the Concordat of Leith also allowed the crown to appoint bishops with the church's approval. John Knox himself had no clear views on
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2856-471: The centuries that followed, and in the 11th century Saint Margaret of Scotland (Queen Consort of Malcolm III of Scotland ) strengthened the church's ties with the Holy See , as did successive monarchs such as Margaret's son, David , who invited several religious orders to establish monasteries . The Scottish Reformation was formalised in 1560, when the Church of Scotland broke with the Church of Rome during
2924-401: The church exceeded that of other denominations. In the mid 1800s it was recorded that three quarters of the "landed proprietors of Scotland" were Episcopalians. Catholic Saint Ninian conducted the first Christian mission to what is now southern Scotland. In 563 AD, Saint Columba travelled to Scotland with twelve companions, where according to legend he first landed at the southern tip of
2992-604: The church was completed. In 18th-century Edinburgh, Episcopalians met for worship in small chapels around the city. There were three Non-Juror Chapels and three Qualified Chapels . On 18 August 1708, George Haliburton , Bishop of Aberdeen, licensed Robert Blair to be the first Episcopalian priest of a new congregation which began its life meeting in a room in Half Moon Close on the Castle Hill in Edinburgh. This new congregation
3060-465: The church. As Mission 21 has developed, changing patterns of ministry have become part of its remit. In 1633 Charles I remodelled Holyrood Abbey as a Chapel Royal , and held his coronation there with full Episcopalian rites. In this year he also founded the See of Edinburgh and appointed William Forbes as first Bishop of Edinburgh in the following year. He also appointed John Guthrie, Bishop of Moray as
3128-521: The clergy of post-Revolution days the most eminent are Bishop John Sage , a well-known patristic scholar; Bishop Rattray , liturgiologist; John Skinner , of Longside, author of Tullochgorum ; Bishop Gleig , editor of the 3rd edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica ; Dean Ramsay , author of Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character ; Bishop A. P. Forbes ; G. H. Forbes , liturgiologist; and Bishop Charles Wordsworth . Bishop James Sharp ,
3196-402: The emerging New Town, and it became necessary for the congregation to relocate once again. St Paul's and St John's considered uniting and building a large church on The Mound, but it was decided to have two chapels, one in the west end and one in the east end. The present building was built at this time. The new church, St Paul’s Chapel, was consecrated on the 30 January 1818. The architect
3264-406: The end of Queen Street had previously been occupied by some small buildings and backed onto Brown's Coachyard, which had been the main coach station for Edinburgh for some years. The wall at the back of the Church is the original wall behind which the horses and coaches were prepared. This trade diminished with the advent of the railways. By 1891 it was decided to alter the building and enlarge it from
3332-495: The episcopal synod, the supreme court of appeal. This synod elects from among its own members a presiding Bishop who has the title of Primus (the title originates from the Latin phrase Primus inter pares – 'First among equals'). The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church , the presiding bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church, is elected by the episcopal synod from among its members. His duties are: The incumbent
3400-490: The first, and last, Episcopalian Royal Almoner of Scotland . The Abbey was lost to its protestant congregation as part of the events of the Glorious Revolution and eventually ruined. The Lord Bishop of Edinburgh and Anglican congregation were also evicted from St Giles' Cathedral following the Prayer Book riots in 1637. The office of Royal Almoner was made largely honorific then effectively secular, and by 1835 had merged into
3468-503: The foot of Blackfriars Wynd (now Street) in the Cowgate. In 1745, after further expansion, the congregation bought the adjoining building in order to enlarge the chapel. In 1774, the congregation moved to their newly built church at the east end of the Cowgate (now St Patrick’s RC ). Soon after, however, many of its well-to-do congregation began to move out of the Old Town into the townhouses of
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#17330857056693536-580: The interior balconies that had been removed in the 1890s) and doubling the capacity of the church. A steel and glass entrance pavilion was also constructed outside the west door, and the church hall was demolished and replaced. The £5.6 million building project was completed in 2008 was named Building of the Year in the 2009 Edinburgh Architectural Association Awards. Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church ( Scots : Scots Episcopal Kirk ; Scottish Gaelic : Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba )
3604-644: The king was defeated led to another war and Scotland's conquest by the Covenanters' erstwhile allies the English Parliament's New Model Army . Following the Restoration of the monarch in 1660, the government of Charles II reimposed episcopacy, and required all clergymen to swear allegiance to the king and bishops and renounce the Covenants, or be prevented from preaching in church. Up to a third, at least 270, of
3672-461: The ministry refused, mostly in the south-west of Scotland, and numerous ministers also took to preaching in the open fields in conventicles across the south of Scotland, often attracting thousands of worshippers. This was forcibly repressed by the government, in actions later dubbed The Killing Time . The conflict continued under King James VII of Scotland (also James II of England) until the Glorious Revolution led to his removal from power. With
3740-469: The new church of St Paul in 1816. Designing it in a Perpendicular style on a nave-and-aisle floorplan, he modelled the building on King's College Chapel, Cambridge, complete with crocketted pinnacles and buttresses and four octagonal turrets on the corners, inspired by those on St Mary's Church, Beverley in Yorkshire. The exterior sandstone is richly decorated with Gothic strapwork and topped with
3808-636: The office of bishop, preferring to see them renamed as "superintendents"; but in response to the new Concordat a Presbyterian party emerged headed by Andrew Melville , the author of the Second Book of Discipline . The Scottish Episcopal Church began as a distinct church in 1582, when the Church of Scotland rejected episcopal government (by bishops) and adopted a presbyterian government by elders as well as reformed theology . Scottish monarchs made repeated efforts to introduce bishops and two ecclesiastical traditions competed. In 1584, James VI of Scotland had
3876-422: The original chancel into a choir . The renovating architects also added a rib-vaulted south-east porch, installed new furnishings and removed the aisle galleries . A growing congregation created a need to accommodate a larger number of worshippers, and in the early 21st century a project was undertaken by Lee Boyd architects to renovate the church. New glass-fronted aisle galleries were constructed (re-instating
3944-605: The penal laws were repealed, but clerical disabilities were only finally removed in 1864. The Qualified Chapels were gradually absorbed in the early 19th century. After the independence of the Thirteen Colonies , the Scottish Episcopal Church also took the step of consecrating Samuel Seabury at Aberdeen in 1784. He became the first bishop of the American Episcopal Church after being refused consecration by Church of England clergy. In this way, it can be said that
4012-587: The responsibilities of the King's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer . The current headquarters (the Scottish Episcopal Church General Synod Office) of the Scottish Episcopal Church is Forbes House, number 21 Grosvenor Crescent in the West End of Edinburgh . The primus does not have any metropolitan jurisdiction. Metropolitan responsibilities are held by the diocesan bishops. The last head of
4080-555: The right. A small new chapel was made inside the old entrance. This was later dedicated to the fallen of the First World War. The current great west window, originally in the East end, was rebuilt into the West end, and a new East Window and new Chancel windows were introduced depicting a number of early Celtic saints, mostly associated with this area of Scotland. A small stained glass window from
4148-621: The various seasons in the Liturgical Year and is commonly known as "The Blue Book", a reference to the colour of its covers. A further Eucharistic prayer is provided in the Marriage liturgy. This balance of scripture, tradition and reason is traced to the work of Richard Hooker , a sixteenth-century apologist. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine and things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which
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#17330857056694216-572: The work of the boards and committees of the Church. Most decisions are arrived at by a simple majority of members of the General Synod voting together. More complex legislation, such as changes to the Code of Canons requires each of the Houses to agree and to vote in favour by a two-thirds majority. Each diocese has its synod of the clergy and laity. Its dean (similar to an archdeacon in the Church of England)
4284-511: Was Archibald Elliot whose plans were based on the design of King's College Chapel, Cambridge . The first rectors of the new church were the clergyman and writer Archibald Alison , and Robert Morehead. The building cost £12,000, raised by voluntary subscription. The pew which Walter Scott's family used may now be seen in the side chapel in St Mary's Cathedral in Palmerston Place. The site at
4352-413: Was appointed Bishop of the theologically traditionalist Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney by the other bishops, rather than elected as usual. This drew protests, which the primus attacked as "subversion", and Dyer was consecrated in March 2018. A number of clergy subsequently resigned, and in January 2019 the Westhill Community Church in Aberdeen voted to leave the SEC. The Scottish Episcopal Institute ,
4420-423: Was closed and the building is now in use as a casino. Inside the Church the balconies were taken down, staircases removed and the organ moved from the West End to its current position. A new pulpit, rood screen and reredos were commissioned from JM Dick Peddie and Forbes Smith, the reredos beautifully portraying Christ with the little children and flanked by St Paul on the left and St Cuthbert (Edinburgh's patron) on
4488-423: Was formally approved by the General Synod in June 2017, despite the protests of some, including the representatives of the conservative Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney . Following the vote, a number of individual congregations have begun to leave the church, although they have been obliged to leave their buildings and funds behind them. In November 2017 a high-profile female supporter of same-sex marriage, Anne Dyer
4556-407: Was founded by John Smith, a barrister, who came to Scotland following the Union of the Parliaments in 1707, to serve as Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer of Scotland. Rent for the new meeting house amounted to £6 per year. The church was later made a collegiate church and as the congregation grew, John Smith looked to build a permanent place of worship, and in 1722 the New Chapel was opened near
4624-435: Was previously called the Episcopal Church in Scotland . Although not incorporated until 1712, the Scottish Episcopal Church traces its origins including but extending beyond the Reformation and sees itself in continuity with the church established by Ninian , Columba , Kentigern , and other Celtic saints. The Church of Scotland claims the same continuity. The church is sometimes pejoratively referred to in Scotland as
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