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St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh    Three of the soaring spires on the famous skyline of Edinburgh belong to the Scottish Episcopal Catherdal of St Mary the Virgin.  Consecrated in 1879 the Cathedral is still the home to a thriving congregation.  After the abdication of James VII in 1689 the reformed church in Scotland divided over the issue of the Stuart succession. Two churches came into being.
The Presbyterian Church established by King William and the Episcopal church loyal to the Stuart cause.  St Giles the Edinburgh Cathedral came under the established church which left the Episcopal ministry with no Cathedral of its own.  For many years they worshipped in an old woollen mill then the church of St Paul in York Place.  Always dreaming of the day when they would eventually have a Cathedral of their own.  However it was not until the middle of the Nineteenth Century that the dream started to become a reality.  The Walker Sisters local landowners bequeathed the residue from the sale of their estate “Drumsheugh” to the building of a new Cathedral.  A trust deed was drawn up which came into effect on the demise of the last surviving Sister Mary in 1870.  In 1872 a competition was held to find a design of the new building which was won by Sir George Scott.  However he was asked to add two more spires to his original design.  The foundation stone was laid on the 21st May 1874.  The nave was opened on the 25th January 1879 and daily services have been held every day since.
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St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh        St Giles was the Patron Saint of Cripples, he was a Greek born in Athens in 640AD. The building was dedicated to St Giles in 1243.  There has probably been a church on this site since 854. The oldest parts of the present building are 4 massive central pillars thought to date back to 1120. The church was burnt down by the English in 1385.  However over the following 150 years it was enlarged and enhanced.  It was from here that John Knox (Scottish reformer) appointed Minister of Edinburgh in 1559 led the reformation of the Scottish Church.  The tie with Rome was broken and the administration of the Church of Scotland evolved into Presbyterianism.  Although it must be said that for two periods in the 17th Century the Church was Episcopalian.  Mary Queen of Scots held Parliament in 1563 in the outer tollbooth section.  During that time it was the market place at the centre of the cities activities.  Many tales of torture, execution, bravery and treachery started life within the walls of this building.  Which today echoes a violent past and yet by careful renewal points a way forward to the future.
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Glasgow Cathedral                        Built Close to the site where Kentigern (St. Mungo) built his church in 543, the present structure was started during the 12th Century, with the quire and crypt being completed in the 13th Century.  The Cathedral was finally completed at the end of the 15th Century.  It is the only complete Medieval Cathedral on the Scottish mainland.  The Cathedral is 285ft long and the Nave is 63ft wide, the Nave roof is 105ft high.  The Lower church which fulfils two purposed, the Tomb of St, Kentigern and the provision of additional Chapels and Altars is without doubt the most distinctive feature of the Cathedral.  One of the Outstanding features is the fan vaulting around the Tomb.
In 1451 a decree from Rome declared that a Pilgrimage to this Cathedral would equal in merit one made to Rome.  It is understandable therefore that the number of Pilgrims coming to make offerings increased considerably.
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Greyfriars kirk                Built on the site of a former Monastery the Kirk was opened in 1620, the first to be built in Edinburgh after the reformation.  The national covenant was signed here in 1638.  The churchyard contains probably the finest collection of 17th Century memorials in the city.  One of them is to William Adam father of the great family of architects.  But the most famous of all is just outside the actual churchyard, at the top of Candlemakers Row.  A statue of Greyfriars Bobby, a small dog who watched over the grave of his master the shepherd Kohn Gray for 14 years.  The venue is used extensively throughout the year for recitals and is much in demand during the fringe period.

Holy Trinity, St Andrews
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