124-732: The Thistle Chapel , located in St Giles' Cathedral , Edinburgh , Scotland , is the chapel of the Order of the Thistle . At the foundation of the Order of the Thistle in 1687, James VII ordered Holyrood Abbey be fitted out as a chapel for the Knights. At James' deposition the following year, a mob destroyed the Chapel's interior before the Knights ever met there. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, multiple proposals were made either to refurbish Holyrood Abbey for
248-537: A Scottish architect , prominent in the early 19th century. Graham was born in Dunblane on 11 June 1776. He was the son of Malcolm Gillespie, a solicitor. He was christened as James Gillespie. In 1810, under the name James Gillespie, he was living in a flat at 10 Union Street at the head of Leith Walk in Edinburgh. By 1820 he had moved to a far more luxurious house at 34 Albany Street, not far from his earlier flat. He
372-574: A cathedral records its common name as "Saint Giles' Kirk". St Giles' held cathedral status between 1633 and 1638 and again between 1661 and 1689 during periods of episcopacy within the Church of Scotland. Since 1689, the Church of Scotland, as a Presbyterian church, has had no bishops and, therefore, no cathedrals . St Giles' is one of a number of former cathedrals in the Church of Scotland – such as Glasgow Cathedral or Dunblane Cathedral – that retain their title despite having lost this status. Since
496-534: A compromise, Davis was commissioned to design seven windows to show the arms of the Knights at the time of the Chapel’s construction while the Scottish artist, Douglas Strachan, was commissioned to design the east window, depicting Saint Andrew . Each heraldic window is split into two main lights by a central mullion with a coat of arms in each light. Lorimer insisted the arms be framed by clear glass to allow light into
620-602: A flat west end. Above the line of the stalls rise pointed windows; the single-light east window is flanked by angels. At the west end, a single oriel is framed by a cusped lancet . In the north-west two bays blind tracery imitates the form of the windows and frames reliefs of the arms of the Duke of Argyll , the Duke of Montrose , the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres , and the Marquess of Tweeddale . A shallow lierne -vaulted ceiling crowns
744-621: A house at 34 Albany Street in Edinburgh's New Town for himself and his wife and lived there from 1817 to 1833. He died in Edinburgh on 21 March 1855 after a four-year illness. He is buried in the sealed south-west section of Greyfriars Kirkyard generally called the Covenanter's Prison together with his wife and other family members. In 1815 he married Margaret Ann Graham, daughter of a wealthy landowner, William Graham of Orchill (d.1825) in Perthshire . Together they had two daughters. In 1825, on
868-501: A lack of funds, nothing was done with them. George IV attended service in the High Kirk during his 1822 visit to Scotland . The publicity of the King's visit created impetus to restore the now-dilapidated building. With £20,000 supplied by the city council and the government, William Burn was commissioned to lead the restoration. Burn's initial plans were modest, but, under pressure from
992-860: A leading Covenanter . The King had lost the Bishops' Wars and had come to Edinburgh because the Treaty of Ripon compelled him to ratify Acts of the Parliament of Scotland passed during the ascendancy of the Covenanters. After the Covenanters' loss at the Battle of Dunbar , troops of the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell entered Edinburgh and occupied the East Kirk as a garrison church. General John Lambert and Cromwell himself were among English soldiers who preached in
1116-532: A leading figure of the Scottish Enlightenment and religious moderate, served as minister of the High Kirk; his sermons were famous throughout Britain and attracted Robert Burns and Samuel Johnson to the church. Blair's contemporary, Alexander Webster , was a leading evangelical who, from his pulpit in the Tolbooth Kirk, expounded strict Calvinist doctrine. At the beginning of the 19th century,
1240-470: A mile by horse and cart to St Giles', where some final work was done as the stones were put in place. Although Hayes and his men displayed independence in developing designs, Lorimer claimed ultimate authorship, insisting the masons "get their cue from him". The most detailed carving was done by "the Greek", whose name is not otherwise known. Among the other members of Hayes' team was Alexander Carrick , who became
1364-520: A movement for liturgical beautification in late 19th century Scottish Presbyterianism and many evangelicals feared the restored St Giles' would more resemble a Roman Catholic church than a Presbyterian one. Nevertheless, the Presbytery of Edinburgh approved plans in March 1870 and the High Kirk was restored between June 1872 and March 1873: the pews and gallery were replaced with stalls and chairs and, for
SECTION 10
#17328444309861488-513: A new chapel. Edward VII appointed William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch ; Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery ; John David Melville, 12th Earl of Leven ; and Schomberg Kerr McDonnell as trustees with Thomas Ross as architectural consultant. The King instructed to the Trustees to write to the kirk session of St. Giles' with the suggestion that a new chapel for the Order be housed in
1612-402: A noted sculptor in his own right. Louis Deuchars created plaster models from which Hayes and his men worked. Heraldic devices were emblazoned by Alfred Nixon of Moxon & Carfare. The floor of the Chapel is Ailsa Craig granite with panels of Iona marble . This was laid by Allan & Sons of Piershill . On 4 July 1962, a memorial floor plaque to George VI , designed by Esmé Gordon ,
1736-477: A pendant showing the Pelican in her piety . During the remodelling of the east end in 1939, a new lamp was supplied by Charles Henshaw of Edinburgh. Over the years, the pendants went missing and one lamp was stolen; in 2006, Powderhall Bronze of Edinburgh manufactured replacements. The Bromsgrove Guild also produced the handles and keyhole escutcheon for the Chapel door. Alongside the communion table unveiled in 1943,
1860-604: A prison and as a meeting place for the Parliament of Scotland . In 1633, Charles I made St Giles' the cathedral of the newly created Diocese of Edinburgh . Charles' attempt to impose doctrinal changes on the presbyterian Scottish Kirk, including a Prayer Book causing a riot in St Giles' on 23 July 1637, which precipitated the formation of the Covenanters and the beginnings of the Wars of
1984-455: A prison by the end of the 16th century. The Maiden – an early form of guillotine – was stored in the church. The vestry was converted into an office and library for the town clerk and weavers were permitted to set up their looms in the loft. Around 1581, the interior was partitioned into two meeting houses: the chancel became the East (or Little or New) Kirk and the crossing and the remainder of
2108-611: A prominent and flat portion of the ridge that leads down from Edinburgh Castle ; it sits on the south side of the High Street: the main street of the Old Town and one of the streets that make up the Royal Mile . From its initial construction in the 12th century until the 14th century, St Giles' was located near the eastern edge of Edinburgh. By the time of the construction of the King's Wall in
2232-462: A senior supporter of Charles I executed by the Covenanters – was re-interred in St Giles'. The reintroduction of bishops sparked a new period of rebellion and, in the wake of the Battle of Rullion Green in 1666, Covenanters were imprisoned in the former priests' prison above the north door , which, by then, had become known as "Haddo's Hole" due to the imprisonment there in 1644 of Royalist leader Sir John Gordon, 1st Baronet, of Haddo . After
2356-600: A silvered bronze cross was added at the east end. Designed by John Fraser Matthew , the cross features square enamelled panels at each end, showing the symbols of the Four Evangelists : these panels were designed by Morris Meredith Williams and enamelled by Harold Conrad William Soper of London. Architectural metalwork by other firms includes door locks and hinges by Low & Methven of Lothian Road and external lead piping by W. Dodds & Sons of West Kilburn . The arms of each Knight are represented by plate fixed to
2480-493: A tumult at St Giles' on 17 December 1596. The King briefly removed to Linlithgow and the ministers were blamed for inciting the crowd; they fled the city rather than comply with their summons to appear before the King. To weaken the ministers, James made effective, as of April 1598, an order of the town council from 1584 to divide Edinburgh into distinct parishes . In 1620, the Upper Tolbooth congregation vacated St Giles' for
2604-576: Is a national thing" and that, as such, preference should be shown to Scottish artisans. In line with the Arts and Crafts movement 's emphasis on craftsmanship and collaboration, Lorimer had already assembled a largely Edinburgh-based team of artisans. Of the major contributors to the Chapel, only Louis Davis – who designed the heraldic stained glass – and the Bromsgrove Guild – who supplied decorative metalwork – were based outside Scotland. The speed with which
SECTION 20
#17328444309862728-579: Is also well known for his interior design , his most noted work in this respect being that at Taymouth Castle and Hopetoun House . Some of his principal churches include St Andrew's Cathedral in Glasgow, and St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Highland Tolbooth Church (now The Hub ) in Edinburgh. His houses include Cambusnethan House in Lanarkshire. He was responsible for laying out
2852-543: Is an undercroft and adjoining the Chapel is the ante-chapel with arches opening into the Preston Aisle and south choir aisle of the Cathedral and an external east door and steps providing access to Parliament Square . The chapel sits in a constrained site: on the edge of St Giles' Cathedral at its north and west and constricted by Parliament Square to its south and east; the kirk session of St Giles' Cathedral also required
2976-650: Is flanked by an animal on the arm-rest: some of these were based on animals that appear in the arms of the Knights and were carved by the Clow brothers from rough sketches by Lorimer. Each arm-rest bears a twisting pillar that support a canopy over the stall; on each of the cusps of these canopies is an angel with twin angels above the cusps of the Sovereign’s stall, between the canopies are angels playing musical instruments. Deuchars designed each angel to be unique in appearance. Above each canopy are three canopied niches. The niches of
3100-526: Is in 1535, when Andrew Johnston, one of the chaplains, was forced to leave Scotland on the grounds of heresy. In October 1555, the town council ceremonially burned English language books, likely Reformers' texts, outside St Giles'. The theft from the church of images of the Virgin , St Francis , and the Trinity in 1556 may have been agitation by reformers. In July 1557, the church's statue of its patron, Saint Giles,
3224-604: Is most notable for his work in the Scottish baronial style, as at Ayton Castle , and he also worked in the Gothic Revival style, in which he was heavily influenced by the work of Augustus Pugin . However, he also worked successfully in the neoclassical style as exemplified in his design of Blythswood House at Renfrew seven miles down the River Clyde from Glasgow . Graham designed principally country houses and churches . He
3348-550: The Abbey of Saint-Gilles in modern-day France , he was a popular saint in medieval Scotland . The church was first possessed by the monks of the Order of St Lazarus , who ministered among lepers; if David I or Alexander I is the church's founder, the dedication may be connected to their sister Matilda , who founded St Giles in the Fields . Prior to the Reformation , St Giles' was
3472-530: The Bromsgrove Guild – who supplied bronze fittings – were the only major contributors based outside Scotland. Construction began in November 1909 and the Chapel was completed a little over a year later. After its official opening in July 1911, George V knighted Lorimer for his work. Through the continuing addition of stall plates, crests , and banners for new Knights, the Chapel's tradition of craftsmanship persists to
3596-516: The Canongate Kirk . In the seventeen months after the publication of the warrant, William Bruce oversaw the transformation of the Abbey: an altar and black and white marble floor were added and classical stalls were shipped from London. The Order of the Thistle never met in its new chapel: on 10 December 1688, in the wake of James' deposition , a mob from Edinburgh destroyed the furnishings. Although
3720-522: The Glorious Revolution , the Scottish bishops remained loyal to James VII . On the advice of William Carstares , who later became minister of the High Kirk, William II supported the abolition of bishops in the Church of Scotland and, in 1689, the Parliament of Scotland restored Presbyterian polity . In response, many ministers and congregants left the Church of Scotland , effectively establishing
3844-603: 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, including the addition of the Thistle Chapel . St Giles' is closely associated with many events and figures in Scottish history, including John Knox , who served as
Thistle Chapel - Misplaced Pages Continue
3968-454: The Luckenbooths and Tolbooth , which had enclosed the north side of the church, were demolished along with shops built up around the walls of the church. The exposure of the church's exterior revealed its walls were leaning outwards. In 1817, the city council commissioned Archibald Elliot to produce plans for the church's restoration. Elliot's drastic plans proved controversial and, due to
4092-533: The Moray Estate of Edinburgh's New Town , and for the design of Hamilton Square and adjoining streets in the New Town of Birkenhead , England, for William Laird, brother-in-law of William Harley , major developer of the New Town upon Blythswood Hill in Glasgow. According to the writer Frank Arneil Walker he may have been responsible for the remodelling of Johnstone Castle , Renfrewshire. He designed and built
4216-555: The New North (or Haddo's Hole) Kirk . At the Union of Scotland and England's Parliaments in 1707, the tune "Why Should I Be Sad on my Wedding Day?" rang out from St Giles' recently installed carillon . During the Jacobite rising of 1745 , inhabitants of Edinburgh met in St Giles' and agreed to surrender the city to the advancing army of Charles Edward Stuart . From 1758 to 1800, Hugh Blair ,
4340-472: The Royal Arms of Scotland and beneath two angles who bear his cross and martyr’s crown . Unusually, Andrew is depicted in his career as a fisherman rather than at his martyrdom; as described by Elizabeth Cumming: “Strachan’s figure holds a natural pose, and presents Andrew as a rugged, working fisherman, his net firmly held in his arms”. In 1982, small stained glass windows replaced the ventilation grilles in
4464-622: The Siege of Leith , were constructed in the church. The events of the Scottish Reformation thereafter briefly turned in favour of the Roman Catholic party: they retook Edinburgh and the French agent Nicolas de Pellevé , Bishop of Amiens , reconsecrated St Giles' as a Roman Catholic church on 9 November 1559. After the Treaty of Berwick secured the intervention of Elizabeth I of England on
4588-403: The apsidal east end is panelled and surmounted by a continuous canopy of ogee arches below a pierced parapet . The panelling of the central section above the holy table is the most detailed and contains a sculpture of an allegorical winged figure defeating a dragon which represents evil. This may represent Saint Margaret of Antioch . Moxon & Carfrae of George Street painted and stained
4712-399: The crest of the incumbent Knight. Whenever a Knight dies and another Knight is appointed in his/her place, the deceased Knight’s crest is replaced with that of their successor. Between the construction of the Chapel and the firm’s liquidation in 1966, the crests were carved by the foreman carver of Scott Morton & Co. of Edinburgh. Moxon & Crafrae originally coloured the crests but by
4836-470: The "High Kirk". The title fell out of use until reapplied in the late 18th century to the East (or New) Kirk, the most prominent of the four congregations then meeting in the church. Since 1883, the High Kirk congregation has occupied the entire building. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland identified St Giles' as "the central focus of the Old Town ". The church occupies
4960-408: The "pronounced batter of the buttresses" creates "an illusion of height and massiveness without". The buttresses divide the exterior into bays : between each bay, the plinth , pierced by dormer -like ventilation holes (now glazed), slopes steeply to a sheer wall surface below a traceried lancet window . This sloping plinth was likely inspired by chapels at the east end of Chartres Cathedral . On
5084-409: The 15th century and originally stood at the south entrance to St Giles'. At the restoration of 1829–1833, William Burn reincorporated the doorway as part of an internal partition wall. When the Cathedral's partition walls were demolished during the restoration of 1871–1883, William Hay reconstructed the door at the royal entrance at the east end of the church. The royal entrance was constructed during
Thistle Chapel - Misplaced Pages Continue
5208-566: The Burn restoration and consisted of a chamber accessed by a flight of steps. During the construction of the Thistle Chapel, the royal entrance was demolished and replaced by the ante-chapel while the doorway was retained and reincorporated as the entrance to the ante-chapel. Above the door rests a heavy heraldic frieze under an uninterrupted parapet. The ante-chapel is 7.6 meters (25 feet) long and 4.3 meters (14 feet) wide; it consists of two bays: in
5332-401: The Cathedral; on 12 March 1909, the Cathedral authorities gratefully accepted this offer. The Trustees appointed Robert Lorimer as architect. The King approved Lorimer's plans and the first building contract was signed on 24 August 1909 with the foundation stone being laid on 6 November that year. The sculptor appointed by Lorimer to execute the elaborate carving was Joseph Hayes . The Chapel
5456-408: The Chapel ceiling; the larger bosses weigh over a ton each. The contract for stonework went to A. Colville & Co., whose yard was at Haymarket . The carvings were done by Joseph Hayes – with whom Lorimer had already collaborated – and his men, initially overseen by the foreman Thomas Somerville, who died during the construction. Over 1000 tons of stone was sculpted at the yard then transported over
5580-432: The Chapel should not interfere with services in the Cathedral or block light from the church. To create an impression of grandeur, Lorimer designed the Chapel to be unusually tall: the interior of the Chapel, while only 5.5 meters (18 feet) wide and 11.5 meters (36 feet) long, is 13 meters (42 feet) tall. At the time of the commission, Robert Lorimer , a former pupil of Robert Rowand Anderson and George Frederick Bodley ,
5704-421: The Chapel was completed is, in large part, due to the skill of this team of craftspeople. The former boiler room in the undercroft of the Chapel was redeveloped in 1982 by Bernard Feilden and Simpson & Brown. Between 1987 and 2019, a cafe occupied the space immediately below the Chapel. Over four months in 2006, a major cleaning and preservation operation was undertaken by the firm of Charles Taylor: this
5828-456: The Chapel. For the clear glass, Davis, in common with other stained glass artists of the Arts and Crafts movement, preferred imperfect ‘brown’ glass to entirely transparent ‘factory’ glass. In the top light of each window is a zodiac sign: these were designed by Davis’ frequent collaborator, Karl Parsons . Going clockwise the north side, the arms depicted are as follows: the Marquess of Zetland and
5952-433: The Earl of Erroll ; the Marquess of Aberdeen and Lord Hamilton of Dalzell ; the Duke of Roxburghe and the Earl of Haddington ; Lord Balfour of Burleigh and the Earl of Home ; the Earl of Rosebery and the Duke of Fife ; and the Duke of Buccleuch and the Duke of Atholl . The single-light west window, also by Davis, shows the Royal Arms of Scotland . Strachan’s single-light east window depicts Saint Andrew above
6076-459: The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland , ceremonially opened the restored church; Chambers' funeral was held in the church two days after its reopening. In 1911, George V opened the newly constructed chapel of the knights of the Order of the Thistle at the south east corner of the church. James Gillespie Graham James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 21 March 1855) was
6200-591: The High Kirk, left their charges and the established church to join the newly founded Free Church . A significant number of their congregation left with them; as did William King Tweedie, minister of the first charge of the Tolbooth Kirk, and Charles John Brown, minister of Haddo's Hole Kirk . The Old Kirk congregation was suppressed in 1860. At a public meeting in Edinburgh City Chambers on 1 November 1867, William Chambers , publisher and Lord Provost of Edinburgh , first advanced his ambition to remove
6324-563: The Krames were set up between the buttresses of the church. St Giles' forms the north side of Parliament Square with the Law Courts on the south side of the square. The area immediately south of the church was originally the kirkyard , which stretched downhill to the Cowgate . For more than 450 years, St Giles' served as the parish burial ground for the whole of the burgh. At its greatest extent,
SECTION 50
#17328444309866448-415: The Order of the Thistle or to create a chapel within St Giles' Cathedral . In 1906, after the sons Ronald Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven donated £24,000 from their late father's estate, Edward VII ordered a new Chapel to be constructed on the south side of St Giles'. The Trustees appointed by the King to oversee the Chapel's construction appointed Robert Lorimer as architect. The Trustees insisted
6572-666: The Reformers; the council also distributed the church's treasures among trusted townsmen for safekeeping. At 3 pm on 29 June 1559 the army of the Lords of the Congregation entered Edinburgh unopposed and, that afternoon, John Knox , the foremost figure of the Reformation in Scotland, first preached in St Giles'. The following week, Knox was elected minister of St Giles' and, the week after that,
6696-409: The Sovereign’s stall contains sculptures of Saint Mungo , Saint Margaret of Scotland , and Saint Columba . Above the niches of each stall are tall, crocketed spires surmounted by the coronet , helm and crest of each Knight. A decorative sword stands in line with each spire: these were sculpted by Beveridge of Scott Morton & Co. and painted by Moxon & Carfrae. The Sovereign’s stall at
6820-599: The Three Kingdoms . St Giles' role in the Scottish Reformation and the Covenanters' Rebellion has led to its being called "the Mother Church of World Presbyterianism ". St Giles' is one of Scotland's most important medieval parish church buildings. The first church of St Giles' was a small Romanesque building of which only fragments remain. In the 14th century, this was replaced by the current building which
6944-451: The Victorian era and the first half of the 20th century, Burn's work fell far from favour among commentators. Its critics included Robert Louis Stevenson , who stated: "…zealous magistrates and a misguided architect have shorn the design of manhood and left it poor, naked, and pitifully pretentious." Since the second half of the 20th century, Burn's work has been recognised as having secured
7068-416: The ante-chapel ceiling. The preconditions for the design of the Chapel required the ante-chapel to be low in order to prevent the obstruction of light from the windows of the Cathedral. Lorimer took advantage of this requirement by creating a close, sombre ante-chapel to emphasise, by contrast, the soaring proportions of the Chapel. The interior of the Chapel consists of three bays, an apsidal east end and
7192-466: The art of vaulting reached its zenith in the Perpendicular period and designed the vault in that style; at the same time, he employed large, robust bosses to evoke Scottish medieval architecture. Likewise, Lorimer's preference for heraldic angels and foliate bosses may have been inspired by similar stonework in the adjoining Preston Aisle of St Giles'. There are 98 bosses and over 200 tons of sandstone in
7316-483: The authorities, Burn produced something closer to Elliot's plans. Between 1829 and 1833, Burn significantly altered the church: he encased the exterior in ashlar , raised the church's roofline and reduced its footprint. He also added north and west doors and moved the internal partitions to create a church in the nave, a church in the choir, and a meeting place for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in
7440-482: The back panel of the Knight's stall. At the death of one Knight, the deceased Knight's plate is retained and a new plate added when a new Knight is appointed. This practice is well-established in the United Kingdom 's orders of chivalry , similar plaques have been installed for Knights of the Garter at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle since the 15th century. St Giles%27 Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( Scottish Gaelic : Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles ), or
7564-449: The bronze curtain rails at the east end and the helms atop each Knight's stall. The coronets below the helms were made by T.K. Ebbutt of Hanover Street in the New Town and painted by Moxon & Carfrae. Ebbutt also made ceremonial keys for the Chapel, which show Saint Andrew on the bow. Pendant electric lamps were produced by the Bromsgrove Guild and based on models by Louis Deuchars . These consist of angels bearing torches above
SECTION 60
#17328444309867688-434: The burial grounds covered almost 0.5ha. This was closed to burials in 1561 and handed over to the town council in 1566. From the construction of Parliament House in 1639, the former kirkyard was developed and the square formed. The west front of St Giles' faces the former Midlothian County Buildings across West Parliament Square. The foundation of St Giles' is usually dated to 1124 and attributed to David I . The parish
7812-460: The centre of the western end is especially intricate: its spire is 10 meters (33 feet) tall while the two stalls on either side of it – which are reserved for royal Knights – descend in height to the Knights’ stalls, which are 7.6 meters (25 feet) tall. The book rest in front of the Sovereign’s stall bears a large panel with the full achievement of the Royal Arms of Scotland ; on the ends are the escutcheons of Queen Anne and James VII . The dado of
7936-437: The choice of craftspeople should reflect the national character of the Chapel. Lorimer assembled a team of leading figures in the Scottish Arts and Crafts movement , including Phoebe Anna Traquair for enamelwork , Douglas Strachan for stained glass , Joseph Hayes for ornate stonework (and much of the woodwork), and the brothers William and Alexander Clow for other woodwork. Louis Davis – who supplied stained glass – and
8060-433: The church and, during the Protectorate , the East Kirk and Tolbooth Kirk were each partitioned in two. At the Restoration in 1660, the Cromwellian partition was removed from the East Kirk and a new royal loft was installed there. In 1661, the Parliament of Scotland , under Charles II , restored episcopacy and St Giles' became a cathedral again. At Charles' orders, the body of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose –
8184-470: The church from possible collapse. The High Kirk returned to the choir in 1831. The Tolbooth Kirk returned to the nave in 1832; when they left for a new church on Castlehill in 1843, the nave was occupied by the Haddo's Hole congregation. The General Assembly found its new meeting hall inadequate and met there only once, in 1834; the Old Kirk congregation moved into the space. At the Disruption of 1843 , Robert Gordon and James Buchanan , ministers of
8308-408: The church's initial elevation to cathedral status, the building as a whole has generally been called St Giles' Cathedral, St Giles' Kirk or Church, or simply St Giles'. The title "High Kirk" is briefly attested during the reign of James VI as referring to the whole building. A 1625 order of the Privy Council of Scotland refers to the Great Kirk congregation, which was then meeting in St Giles', as
8432-453: The church's minister after the Scottish Reformation . Likely founded in the 12th century and dedicated to Saint Giles , the church was elevated to collegiate status by Pope Paul II in 1467. In 1559, the church became Protestant with John Knox, the foremost figure of the Scottish Reformation, as its minister. After the Reformation, St Giles' was internally partitioned to serve multiple congregations as well as secular purposes, such as
8556-400: The church. In 1879 and 1882, Lindsay Mackersy, session clerk of the High Kirk, and the kirk session proposed the south transept of St Giles' as a chapel for the Order. None of these proposals proved practical. In 1836, James Gillespie Graham and Augustus Pugin had drawn up plans to restore Holyrood Abbey as the chapel of the Order. Although Graham and Pugin's plans were not acted upon at
8680-447: The construction of the Tolbooth in the late 14th century until the early 19th century, St Giles' stood in the most constricted point of the High Street with the Luckenbooths and Tolbooth jutting into the High Street immediately north and north-west of the church. A lane known as the Stinkand Style (or Kirk Style) was formed in the narrow space between the Luckenbooths and the north side of the church. In this lane, open stalls known as
8804-428: The cornice above each window, a demi-angel bears a shield while below each window is the escutcheon and coronet of each Knight at the time of Chapel's construction corresponding to the arms depicted in the window. The curvilinear tracery of these windows evokes the surviving medieval tracery of St Giles'. At the east end, the parapet rises to accommodate a canopied niche, in which stands a statue of Saint Andrew. At
8928-593: The countries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland – a stage of bosses take the form of angels bearing the escutcheons of the eight Knights at the time of the Order’s foundation and the six Knights added by Queen Anne . The massive central bosses depict, from west to east, the Royal arms of Scotland , Saint Giles , the star of the Order of the Thistle, Saint Andrew , and the Pelican in her piety . Lorimer believed
9052-528: The expenses incurred by the abbey in 1390 during the King's coronation and the funeral of his father. Subsequent records show clerical appointments at St Giles' were made by the monarch, suggesting the church reverted to the crown soon afterwards. In 1419, Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas led an unsuccessful petition to Pope Martin V to elevate St Giles' to collegiate status. Unsuccessful petitions to Rome followed in 1423 and 1429. The burgh launched another petition for collegiate status in 1466, which
9176-468: The first conflict of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms . St Giles' again became a Presbyterian church and the partitions were restored. Before 1643, the Preston Aisle was also fitted out as a permanent meeting place for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland . In autumn 1641, Charles I attended Presbyterian services in the East Kirk under the supervision of its minister, Alexander Henderson ,
9300-713: The first time since the Reformation, stained glass and an organ were introduced. The restoration of the former Old Kirk and the West Kirk began in January 1879. In 1881, the West Kirk vacated St. Giles'. During the restoration, many human remains were unearthed; these were transported in five large boxes for reinterment in Greyfriars Kirkyard . Although he had managed to view the reunified interior, William Chambers died on 20 May 1883, only three days before John Hamilton-Gordon, 7th Earl of Aberdeen , Lord High Commissioner to
9424-449: The former boiler room below the Chapel; these were designed by Christian Shaw and depict the days of creation. The wrought-iron gates of the ante-chapel and the iron components of the Chapel's doors were forged by Thomas Hadden and his workshop at Roseburn . Hadden based the design of the gates on medieval rood screens . Hadden had previously collaborated with Lorimer on Earlshall Castle and Ardkinglas . Hadden's forge also contributed
9548-461: The independent Scottish Episcopal Church . In Edinburgh alone, eleven meeting houses of this secession sprang up, including the congregation that became Old St Paul's , which was founded when Alexander Rose , the last Bishop of Edinburgh in the established church, led much of his congregation out of St Giles'. In 1699, the courtroom in the northern half of the Tolbooth partition was converted into
9672-559: The influence of George Frederick Bodley . The Chapel is constructed of sandstone from Cullalo in Fife . The same stone was employed by William Burn as ashlar to face the exterior of St Giles' during the restoration of 1829–33 and by Robert Reid for the construction of the Law Courts on the opposite side of Parliament Square . The exterior of the Thistle Chapel therefore appears consistent with St Giles' while complementing other buildings on Parliament Square. Christopher Hussey argued Lorimer
9796-407: The internal partitions and restore St Giles' as a " Westminster Abbey for Scotland". Chambers commissioned Robert Morham to produce initial plans. Lindsay Mackersy, solicitor and session clerk of the High Kirk, supported Chambers' work and William Hay was engaged as architect; a management board to supervise the design of new windows and monuments was also created. The restoration was part of
9920-569: The latter's perceived similarities to Roman Catholic ritual. Tradition attests that this riot was started when a market trader named Jenny Geddes threw her stool at the dean , James Hannay. In response to the unrest, services at St Giles' were temporarily suspended. The events of 23 July 1637 led to the signing of the National Covenant in February 1638, which, in turn, led to the Bishops' Wars ,
10044-454: The lower part of the kirkyard in the King's memory. In the summer of 1544 during the war known as the Rough Wooing , after an English army had burnt Edinburgh , Regent Arran maintained a garrison of gunners in the tower of the church. New stalls for the choir were made by Robert Fendour and Andrew Mansioun between 1552 and 1554. The earliest record of Reformed sentiment at St Giles'
10168-480: The mid-1450s, the Preston Aisle was added to the southern side of the choir to commemorate this benefactor; Preston's eldest male descendants were given the right to carry the relic at the head of the Saint Giles' Day procession every 1 September. Around 1460, extension of the chancel and the addition thereto of a clerestory were supported by Mary of Guelders , possibly in memory of her husband, James II . In
10292-518: The mid-15th century, the burgh had expanded and St Giles' stood near its central point. In the late medieval and early modern periods, St Giles' was also located at the centre of Edinburgh's civic life: the Tolbooth – Edinburgh's administrative centre – stood immediately north-west of the church and the Mercat Cross – Edinburgh's commercial and symbolic centre – stood immediately north-east of it. From
10416-531: The most popular among the burgh's inhabitants. These proposals, however, came to nothing and the Lords of the Congregation signed a truce with the Roman Catholic forces and vacated Edinburgh. Knox, fearing for his life, left the city on 24 July 1559. St Giles', however, remained in Protestant hands. Knox's deputy, John Willock , continued to preach even as French soldiers disrupted his sermons, and ladders, to be used in
10540-532: The names of the Sovereigns and Knights from the foundation of the order in 1687 to the construction of the Chapel in 1909. Around the east door stands an interior glass porch added in 1983 by Simpson and Brown. The ceiling of the ante-chapel consists of a shallow lierne vault, heavy with foliate bosses ; the central bosses depict Saint Andrew and the Lion Rampant . There are 57 bosses and over 70 tons of stone in
10664-610: The nave became the Great (or Old) Kirk. These congregations, along with Trinity College Kirk and the Magdalen Chapel , were served by a joint kirk session . In 1598, the upper storey of the Tolbooth partition was converted into the West (or Tolbooth) Kirk. During the early majority of James VI , the ministers of St Giles' – led by Knox's successor, James Lawson – formed, in the words of Cameron Lees , "a kind of spiritual conclave with which
10788-463: The newly established Greyfriars Kirk . James' son and successor, Charles I , first visited St Giles' on 23 June 1633 during his visit to Scotland for his coronation. He arrived at the church unannounced and displaced the reader with clergy who conducted the service according to the rites of the Church of England . On 29 September that year, Charles, responding to a petition from John Spottiswoode , Archbishop of St Andrews , elevated St Giles' to
10912-567: The oak interior woodwork was given to the company of Nathaniel Grieve of Washington Lane, Dalry . Grieve’s workmen executed the wood panelling and foliate borders. The most detailed woodwork was carved by the New Town -based brothers, William and Alexander Clow, mostly from designs by Louis Deuchars . The Clow brothers worked almost exclusively for Lorimer. Lorimer based the design of the Knights’ stalls on those at St George's Chapel, Windsor . Each stall
11036-481: The only parish church in Edinburgh and some contemporary writers, such as Jean Froissart , refer simply to the "church of Edinburgh". From its elevation to collegiate status in 1467 until the Reformation, the church's full title was "the Collegiate Church of St Giles of Edinburgh". Even after the Reformation, the church is attested as "the college kirk of Sanct Geill". The charter of 1633 raising St Giles' to
11160-403: The order was revived in 1703 by Queen Anne , no chapel was designated. In 1728, the antiquarian William Douglas suggested the ruins of St Rule's Church in the grounds of St Andrews Cathedral be restored as a chapel for the order. Proposals to locate the chapel of the Order in St Giles' go back to 1872, when Secretary of the Order corresponded with the committee for the then-ongoing restoration of
11284-463: The overall effect. Some critics have also emphasised the Chapel's political role as an expression of Scottish patriotism, British imperialism , and monarchism. On 29 May 1687, James VII founded the Order of the Thistle and issued a warrant to designate Holyrood Abbey the chapel of the new order. This change of purpose necessitated the eventual removal of the Abbey's Church of Scotland congregation to
11408-426: The present day. The Knights of the Thistle meet in the Chapel at least once a year. Architectural critics have noted Lorimer's successful use of a limited site to create a soaring work of Gothic architecture , rich with architectural details. A number of critics have emphasised the Chapel's importance as a product of the Arts and Crafts movement , in which the collaborative craftsmanship of individual artisans defines
11532-451: The purging of the church's Roman Catholic furnishings began. Mary of Guise (who was then ruling as regent for her daughter Mary ) offered Holyrood Abbey as a place of worship for those who wished to remain in the Roman Catholic faith while St Giles' served Edinburgh's Protestants. Mary of Guise also offered the Lords of the Congregation that the parish church of Edinburgh would, after 10 January 1560, remain in whichever confession proved
11656-560: The side of the Reformers, they retook Edinburgh. St Giles' once again became a Protestant church on 1 April 1560 and Knox returned to Edinburgh on 23 April 1560. The Parliament of Scotland legislated that, from 24 August 1560, the Pope had no authority in Scotland. Workmen, assisted by sailors from the Port of Leith , took nine days to clear stone altars and monuments from the church. Precious items used in pre-Reformation worship were sold. The church
11780-434: The soaring interior of the Chapel. While the ceiling's height contrasts with the ceiling of the ante-chapel, its design is similar with large bosses dominating the ceiling. At the key-stone of each bay rests a demi-angel playing a different musical instrument. These musical angels were likely inspired by similar examples at Melrose Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel . Between foliate bosses – many of which depict national flowers of
11904-452: The southern portion. Between these, the crossing and north transept formed a large vestibule. Burn also removed internal monuments; the General Assembly's meeting place in the Preston Aisle; and the police office and fire engine house, the building's last secular spaces. Burn's contemporaries were split between those who congratulated him on creating a cleaner, more stable building and those who regretted what had been lost or altered. In
12028-558: The state had to reckon before any of its proposals regarding ecclesiastical matters could become law". During his attendance at the Great Kirk, James was often harangued in the ministers' sermons and relations between the King and the Reformed clergy deteriorated. In the face of opposition from St Giles' ministers, James introduced successive laws to establish episcopacy in the Church of Scotland from 1584. Relations reached their nadir after
12152-418: The status of a cathedral to serve as the seat of the new Bishop of Edinburgh . Work began to remove the internal partition walls and to furnish the interior in the manner of Durham Cathedral . Work on the church was incomplete when, on 23 July 1637, the replacement in St Giles' of Knox's Book of Common Order by a Scottish version of the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer provoked rioting due to
12276-516: The table shows the Lamb of God and the retable bears emblems of each person of the Trinity . The table replaced the chair of investiture at the east end of the Chapel. The unveiling of the table by George VI was intended for autumn 1939; however, the outbreak of the Second World War meant this was delayed until July 1943. Atop the spire above each Knight’s seat is a sculpted coronet and helm and
12400-465: The time of Scott Morton & Co.’s dissolution, this was done by A.C. Wood & Son. Whytock and Reid then held the contract to carve the crests until 1983; since then, the work has been done by John Donaldson of Livingston. The Trustees encouraged Robert Lorimer to employ a Scottish artist for the Chapel’s stained glass; but Lorimer favoured the London-based stained glass designer, Louis Davis . As
12524-401: The time, the same ambition was advanced in 1905, when Ronald Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven set up a fund of £40,000 to restore Holyrood Abbey for the Order of the Thistle. On investigation by Thomas Ross , the restoration of Holyrood Abbey was found to be impossible. Upon the Earl's death in 1906, the fund reverted to his sons, who offered £22,000 and an endowment of £2,000 to construct
12648-528: The tower. Although his colleague of 9 years John Craig had remained in Edinburgh during these events, Knox, his health failing, had retired to St Andrews . A deputation from Edinburgh recalled him to St Giles' and there he preached his final sermon on 9 November 1572. Knox died later that month and was buried in the kirkyard in the presence of the Regent Morton . After the Reformation, parts of St Giles' were given over to secular purposes. In 1562 and 1563,
12772-399: The west end and north west bay stand arches opening into St Giles' Cathedral, the external doorway occupies the eastern wall, and in the south west bay, a cusped Tudor arch with angels on the cusps frames both the off-centre door to the Chapel and an inscription and heraldic relief in memory of Ronald Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven . On the walls of the two eastern bays are inscribed
12896-421: The west end, an octagonal turret , capped with a spirelet , stands in the south corner: this contains a spiral staircase, which leads to the roof. The west window is in the form of an oriel and the west gable is crow-stepped . Between the south wall of Saint Giles and the north side of the Chapel, a wide flight of steps rises to the east door, which leads to the ante-chapel. The round-arched doorway dates to
13020-448: The western three bays of the church were partitioned off by a wall to serve as an extension to the Tolbooth : it was used, in this capacity, as a meeting place for the burgh's criminal courts, the Court of Session , and the Parliament of Scotland . Recalcitrant Roman Catholic clergy (and, later, inveterate sinners) were imprisoned in the room above the north door. The tower was also used as
13144-458: The wishes of Robert II , planned a raid into the northern counties of England. Though the raid was a success, Richard II of England took retribution on the Scottish borders and Edinburgh in August 1385 and St Giles' was burned. The scorch marks were reportedly still visible on the pillars of the crossing in the 19th century. At some point in the 14th century, the 12th century Romanesque St Giles'
13268-459: The wood; the company subsequently held the contract to maintain the woodwork. A number of pieces of free-standing wooden furniture were added at the time of the Chapel’s construction: these are the Dean’s chair and book rest and the lectern and reader’s seat. A credence table , designed by Lorimer and carved by Nathaniel Grieve, was added in 1920; this stands in the north alcove of the apse. The table
13392-525: The years following St Giles' elevation to collegiate status, the number of chaplainries and endowments increased greatly and by the Reformation there may have been as many as fifty altars in St Giles'. In 1470, Pope Paul II further elevated St Giles' status by granting a petition from James III to exempt the church from the jurisdiction of the Bishop of St Andrews . During Gavin Douglas' provostship, St Giles'
13516-418: Was added to the church. Since the medieval period, St Giles' has been the site of nationally important events and services; the services of the Order of the Thistle take place there. Alongside housing an active congregation, the church is one of Scotland's most popular visitor sites: it attracted over a million visitors in 2018. Saint Giles is the patron saint of lepers . Though chiefly associated with
13640-460: Was central to Scotland's response to national disaster of the Battle of Flodden in 1513. As Edinburgh's men were ordered by the town council to defend the city, its women were ordered to gather in St Giles' to pray for James IV and his army. Requiem Mass for the King and the memorial mass for the dead of the battle were held in St Giles' and Walter Chepman endowed a chapel of the Crucifixion in
13764-486: Was completed by the autumn of 1910 in time for the first St Andrew's Day gathering of the Knights. The Chapel was formally opened amidst much ceremony on 19 July 1911 by George V . At the opening, police hid in the boiler room beneath the Chapel to guard against the threat of vandalism by suffragettes . At the end of the ceremony, the King received the Chapel's craftspeople and Lorimer was shortly afterwards knighted for his work. The Trustees insisted that "the Thistle Chapel
13888-577: Was consecrated by David de Bernham , Bishop of St Andrews on 6 October 1243. As St Giles' is attested almost a century earlier, this was likely a re-consecration to correct the loss of any record of the original consecration. In 1322 during the First Scottish War of Independence , troops of Edward II of England despoiled Holyrood Abbey and may have attacked St Giles' as well. Jean Froissart records that, in 1384, Scottish knights and barons met secretly with French envoys in St Giles' and, against
14012-527: Was deposed and succeeded by her infant son, James VI , St Giles' was a focal point of the ensuing Marian civil war . After his assassination in January 1570, the Regent Moray , a leading opponent of Mary, Queen of Scots , was interred within the church; John Knox preached at this event. Edinburgh briefly fell to Mary's forces and, in June and July 1572, William Kirkcaldy of Grange stationed soldiers and cannon in
14136-419: Was enlarged between the late 14th and early 16th centuries. The church was altered between 1829 and 1833 by William Burn and restored between 1872 and 1883 by William Hay with the support of William Chambers . Chambers hoped to make St Giles' a "Westminster Abbey for Scotland" by enriching the church and adding memorials to notable Scots. Between 1909 and 1911, the Thistle Chapel, designed by Robert Lorimer ,
14260-408: Was granted by Pope Paul II in February 1467. The foundation replaced the role of vicar with a provost accompanied by a curate , sixteen canons , a beadle , a minister of the choir, and four choristers. During the period of these petitions, William Preston of Gorton had, with the permission of Charles VII of France , brought from France the arm bone of Saint Giles, an important relic . From
14384-415: Was likely detached from the older parish of St Cuthbert's . David raised Edinburgh to the status of a burgh and, during his reign, the church and its lands ( St Giles' Grange ) are first attested, being in the possession of monks of the Order of Saint Lazarus . Remnants of the destroyed Romanesque church display similarities to the church at Dalmeny , which was built between 1140 and 1166. St Giles'
14508-467: Was produced to coincide with Sir John Hatt Noble Graham’s donation of a silver chalice and paten from the collection Ferdinand II of Portugal . Nathaniel Grieve also provided an attendant’s seat and desk for the ante-chapel in 1927. Scott Morton & Co. provided eight oak stools in 1934. As a memorial to George V , a communion table with a short retable was commissioned from Scott Morton & Co. and designed by John Fraser Matthew . The front of
14632-539: Was replaced by the current Gothic church. At least the crossing and nave had been built by 1387 as, in that year, Provost Andrew Yichtson and Adam Forrester of Nether Liberton commissioned John Skuyer, John Primrose, and John of Scone to add five chapels to the south side of the nave. In the 1370s, the Lazarite friars supported the King of England and St Giles' reverted to the Scottish crown. In 1393, Robert III granted St Giles' to Scone Abbey in compensation for
14756-400: Was roughly half-way through his architectural career; though his only major ecclesiastical commission had been St Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Morningside . John Fraser Matthew , Lorimer's future partner, assisted Lorimer in the design of the Chapel. Lorimer's design takes inspiration from late 15th century Gothic architecture and, in its form and in its use of curvilinear tracery , displays
14880-456: Was stolen and, according to John Knox , drowned in the Nor Loch then burned. For use in that year's Saint Giles' Day procession, the statue was replaced by one borrowed from Edinburgh's Franciscans ; though this was also damaged when Protestants disrupted the event. At the beginning of 1559, with the Scottish Reformation gaining ground, the town council hired soldiers to defend St Giles' from
15004-455: Was successful in creating a chapel that "harmonises perfectly with the Cathedral structure as a whole, but fearlessly proclaims its individuality." On its exterior, the Chapel's base is emphasised by multiple horizontal moulded courses , from which rise gableted buttresses ; the buttresses terminate at the cornice of the castellated parapet . The parapet conceals the flat, asphalt-covered concrete roof. According to Christopher Hussey ,
15128-406: Was the first thorough maintenance project in the Chapel's history. The Thistle Chapel was temporarily closed to visitors from February 2015 after a number of valuable items were stolen. The Chapel re-opened to visitors the following year. The Thistle Chapel is simple in form: the Chapel itself consists of three bays and an apsidal east end with neither aisles nor transepts . Beneath the Chapel
15252-460: Was unveiled by the Queen . The plaque was made by Stewart McGlashan & Sons of Canonmills and consists of a panel of granite with a bronze border and lettering; the Royal Arms of Scotland are formed by inlaid pieces of marble. In 1927, Pilkington Jackson carved the names of the Knights and Sovereigns of the Order of the Thistle from 1687 to 1909 in the walls of the ante-chapel. The contract for
15376-493: Was whitewashed, its pillars painted green, and the Ten Commandments and Lord's Prayer painted on the walls. Seating was installed for children and the burgh's council and incorporations . A pulpit was also installed, likely at the eastern side of the crossing . In 1561, the kirkyard to the south of the church was closed and most subsequent burials were conducted at Greyfriars Kirkyard . In 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots
#985014