Also called the High Kirk, this cathedral sits in pride of place on the glorious Royal Mile. It’s been adding to this street-scape for about 900 years and has had a pretty chequered history of it, as Scotland has with the church, but the building has always been a key place of worship for local people and though it’s sometimes called the Presbyterian Mother Ship, despite its grandeur it’s a Church of Scotland parish church for the Old Town area.

The stained glass windows are some of Scotland’s best and tell a story over seven windows finishing with St. Andrew – Scotland’s own saint - holding a cross, but disappointingly the real beauty and uniqueness of the church’s exterior were ‘restored’ away and the current Gothic façade added over the original medieval kirk buildings. The inside is much truer to form, and a bit of a mish mash of chapels that has none the less been evened out over the years to make it more symmetrical.

St Giles is the patron saint of cripples and lepers – who was very popular in the Middle Ages.

The church has services every day and five on Sundays, just for good measure. Admission is free but if you want to take photos you have to purchase a permit which will cost you two pounds.

Written by  World Reviewer Staff.

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