Canongate Kirk

Canongate Kirk is the parish church of Canongate in Edinburgh’s Old Town and a congregation of the Church of Scotland.

About Canongate Kirk

	153 Canongate, Edinburgh Old Town EH8 8BN
	01315563515
	Canongate Kirk Website
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Listed Under Attractions - History and Culture

The parish includes the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Scottish Parliament, and Edinburgh Castle.

The church was founded in 1688 and completed in 1691. The master mason in charge was James Smith. A plaque on the front of the church bears witness to it having been built through a large bequest from a local merchant.
“In 1688 King James VII ordained that the Mortification of Thos. Moodie, granted in 1649 to build a Church, should be applied to the erection of this structure”

Previously the residents of the Canongate had used the Abbey Church adjacent to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, but King James VII ordered the construction of the new Kirk of the Canongate, allowing the Abbey Church to be converted into a Chapel for the Order of the Thistle. (The current Thistle Chapel is attached to St Giles’ Cathedral ).

Architecturally, the Kirk has a Dutch-style end gable and a curious, small doric-columned portico over the entrance. Although outwardly rectangular, the Kirk’s interior has a cruciform layout (highly unusual for a post-Reformation, pre-Victorian Church of Scotland building). The Kirk’s interior was extensively remodelled in 1882, with the inclusion of a pipe organ and a central pulpit. These unsympathetic alterations were removed in the early 1950s, along with the galleries. The resulting reordering considerably increased the levels of light; the original dignified simplicity of the Kirk was able to be appreciated once more. The Kirk was further restored in 1991 by the Stewart Todd partnership, followed by the installation of a new Danish-built Frobenius pipe organ in 1998, in memory of the late Very Rev Dr Ronald Selby Wright. This was the 1000th organ to be built by the Frobenius company.

Following the Disruption of 1843, a Holyrood Free Church congregation was formed. A church was built in front of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, but the building was closed in 1915 (when that congregation united with Abbeyhill United Free Church, becoming Holyrood Abbey Church, located in London Road.) The former Holyrood Free Church building was reopened as The Queen’s Gallery in 2003, to house exhibitions from the Royal Collection.

The Canongate kirkyard is the resting place of several Edinburgh notables including the economist Adam Smith, the philosopher and Smith’s biographer Dugald Stewart, Agnes Maclehose (the “Clarinda” of Robert Burns), David Rizzio, the murdered private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the poet Robert Fergusson, whose statue in bronze by David Annand stands outside the kirk gate. Bishop James Ramsay is also buried here.

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All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.

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Upcoming Events at Canongate Kirk

Music

Calton Consort: Choral Pride

15th June 2024

Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh Old Town

Join Calton Consort for a concert celebrating Pride Month, featuring works by LGBTQ+ composers and allies, at Canongate Kirk on Saturday 15th June!

History and Culture

Linlithgow Palace

Linlithgow Palace Kirkgate, Linlithgow EH49 7AL

Explore the magnificent ruins of the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. Linlithgow Palace was built and added to over two centuries by the Stewart kings, resulting in a superb Renaissance residence.

History and Culture

Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery

Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery High Street, Dunbar EH42 1ER

Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery: the Town House has been the focus of town life since the 16th century.

History and Culture

National Museum of Flight Scotland

National Museum of Flight Scotland East Fortune Airfield, EH39 5LF

Head off on a journey of discovery at this former airfield as you explore the history of aviation from the First World War to the present day

History and Culture

Auld Reekie Tours

45 Niddry Street, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1LG

Take a journey into the dark side of old Edinburgh's history touring the haunted underground vaults with Auld Reekie Tours!

History and Culture

John Knox House

43 - 45 High Street, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1SR

Dating back to 1470 John Knox House is one of Scotland's greatest cultural treasures and is associated with the most dramatic events in Scotland's turbulent history!

History and Culture

The Real Mary Kings Close

2 Warriston's Close, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1PG

Edinburgh's deepest secret, the Real Mary King’s Close is buried deep beneath the Royal Mile... a warren of hidden streets that has remained frozen in time since the 17th Century!

History and Culture

Curious About Edinburgh Tour

, Various Locations Edinburgh

Have fun discovering Edinburgh with two self-guided, heritage walks with an optional treasure hunt... buy or instantly download & get curious!

History and Culture

Craigmillar Castle

Craigmillar Castle Craigmillar Castle Road, Edinburgh South EH16 4SY

Step inside Edinburgh's other castle, once a rural retreat from Scotland's capital!

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The Georgian House

7 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh New Town EH2 4DR

The Georgian House, Robert Adam's masterpiece of urban architecture with its elegant furnished interior, is located at No. 7 Charlotte Square in the centre of Edinburgh!

History and Culture

Nelson Monument

32 Calton Hill, Edinburgh New Town EH7 5AA

Nelson Monument is situated on top of Calton Hill, and provides a dramatic termination to the view along Princes Street from the west.

History and Culture

Museum of Childhood Edinburgh

42 High Street, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1TG

The Museum of Childhood has a place in the hearts of millions. The first museum in the world dedicated to the history of childhood, it displays toys and...

History and Culture