St. Giles Cathedral

St Giles’ was founded in about 1124, either by King Alexander I, who died that year, or by his brother King David I, who succeeded him. They were the sons of the energetic King Malcolm Canmore and his devout wife, St Margaret.

According to legend, St Giles himself had been a seventh-century Greek hermit who lived in the forests near Nîmes, in the south of France, with a tame deer as his only companion. One day the King of the Visigoths, out hunting, shot at the deer, only to find it held protectively in the arms of Giles, who had been wounded in the hand by the arrow. The King was impressed by the holy man, returned many times to speak to him, and finally persuaded him to become the abbot of a monastery which he founded for him. Giles was subsequently canonised, becoming the patron saint of lepers, nursing mothers and the lame.

St Giles' Cathedral, also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Its distinctive crown steeple is a prominent feature of the city skyline, at about a third of the way down the Royal Mile which runs from the Castle to Holyrood Palace. The church has been one of Edinburgh's religious focal points for approximately 900 years.

Although founded in about 1130, St Giles' central role in Edinburgh's life has subjected it to more change than seen in most churches. As a result, most of the exterior dates back to a remodeling in the years to 1833. And the interior you see today comes from a restoration completed in 1883.

Despite its name, St Giles' Cathedral is not a cathedral. The title gives an idea of its magnificent scale, but was only strictly correct for two short periods when Bishops served in the Scottish Church, from 1633-8 and from 1661-89.

Looking up at the pipe organ.

Looking up at the pulpit.

Beautiful stonework

Interior shot of the aisle with the brilliant blue ceiling.

The Order of the Thistle is Scotland’s great order of chivalry, and membership is considered to be one of the country’s highest honours. The Order is traditionally given to

Scots or people of Scots ancestry, who have given distinguished service. Appointments are entirely in the personal gift of the Sovereign.

The Order of the Thistle has roots in the Middle Ages, but the present day order was largely created in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland (King James II of England). The nave of Holyrood Abbey was adapted as its chapel, but in 1688 the Abbey was ransacked by the Edinburgh mob, furious at King James’ Roman Catholic allegiance. After that, the Knights of the Thistle had no chapel of their own for over 200 years.

The Thistle Chapel was designed by Robert Lorimer and finished in 1911. It contains stalls for the 16 knights, the Sovereign’s stall and two Royal stalls. The chapel contains a wealth of detail, both religious and heraldic, and much of it peculiarly Scottish, including angels playing bagpipes.

Entered through a low-vaulted vestibule or ante-chapel at the east end of the Preston aisle, the chapel is a rectangle of three bays, with a polygonal eastern apse and a stone vault encrusted with a rich pattern of ribs and carved bosses. The effect is greatly enhanced by heraldic and figurative stained glass in the windows.

Along the sides of the chapel are the knights’ stalls, which are capped by lavishly carved canopies with the helms and crests of the knights rising above. The richest effect of all, however, is reserved for the Sovereign’s stall at the west end of the chapel.