History

St Giles 

                                               

The history of St Giles can perhaps be traced back to 854AD with record of a parish church in Edinburgh, and evidently the site has at least been used for worship for around 900 years. A Romanesque style church was first built in the 1120s, which was used for several centuries before dedicated by the bishop of St Andrews in 1243, but then dedicated to St Giles after.

The majority part of the building was refined in Gothic style between 1320 and 1380, which was partially burnt in 1385, but repaired and expanded again during the 15^th and 16^th centuries. The Albany Aisle and The Preston Aisle are dated around this period. The insertion of private chapels was from the later period, and there were more than 100 of them in the interior by the 16^th century.

John Knox was the Minister at St Giles (1559-1572) when the church went through significant changes because of the Scottish Reformation. Many chapels and stained glass were removed In order to achieve the Reformed style of worship. The church was also considered to be the spiritual home of Presbyterianism due to his Ministry. To make use of the space effectively that the building was further partitioned to allow places for coal store, fire station, school, and police station.

The church went through Episcopal control periods when King Charles intended to reintroduce Episcopacy in Scotland, and became as Cathedral in 1635-38 and in 1661-89 in the 17^th Century. However, tensions were raised as opposition signed National Covenant, although the Presbyterian Church of Scotland became the Established church at the end of the century that the name of St Giles Cathedral was remained, but not in Cathedral status.

The two tombs in the church were involved in these tension periods: James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, who resisted the National Convenant, and executed in 1650. His opponent, Archibald Campbell, Marquess or Argyll was also executed in 1661. After the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 both Montrose and Argyll were interred in the church.

New stained glass windows were inserted and with opened interior, and partitions were removed since 1872. The great restoration of the exterior part of the building was carried out earlier in 1829. Thistle Chapel was relatively newly built in 1911 designed by Sir Rober Lorimer in Gothic style for the knights of the Thistle, Scotland’s order of chivalry.