Queen Elizabeth II is now lying at rest in St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. It was taken there in procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse on September 12th 2022. A Service of Thanksgiving followed and now thousands are queuing to walk past her coffin and pay their own respects.
Although it is not as well-known as its English counterparts, St. Giles’ Cathedral has a long and storied past
The first church on the spot was built in the twelfth century, but the cathedral standing today was first started in the fourteenth century. It is built in the Gothic style, and both the crossing and the nave had been completed by 1387.
Throughout the fifteenth century, the Preston Aisle and a clerestory was added, as well as an extension of the chancel.
In 1544 when Scotland was at war with England, the tower was used as a base for a garrison of gunners.
The church again saw significant change with the Reformation. In June 1559, Protestant Reformer John Knox was elected as minister of St. Giles’.
In the second half of the sixteenth century, much of the church was handed over for secular use. One portion was used as an extension for the Tolbooth, a civic building used for many purposes, including as a jail. The tower served as a prison briefly, and the vestry as a town office and library.
It was given the status of cathedral in 1633.
In the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the cathedral was partitioned off to serve several different sects.
However, by the mid nineteenth century, the partitions were removed and it returned to one congregation again. A great deal of restoration work was done in the second half of the nineenth century.
King Edward VII ordered that a new chapel for The Order of the Thistle be built. The Order is the highest order in Scotland. The original chapel had been built at Holyrood Abbey, but the Abbey had been in ruins for over a century. Although it was completed during his reign, it was officially opened by his son, King George V.
St. Giles’ Cathedral serves as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, the principal site of worship in the city.
On the evening of September 12th 2022, as Her Majesty’s coffin lies in rest, King Charles III and other members of the Royal Family will stand watch over her, known as the “Vigil of the Princes”. The tradition was first established in 1936 with the death of King George V.
