St Giles' Cathedral

📍 City of Edinburgh, Scotland

4.6 ★★★★½ 8,800 reviews

About

St Giles' Cathedral, also known as High Kirk of Edinburgh, is one of three cathedrals in Edinburgh, Scotland. The existing building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alterations were undertaken in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the addition of the Thistle Chapel. St Giles' is closely associated with many events and figures in Scottish history, including John Knox, who served as the church's minister after the Scottish Reformation. The cathedral is administered by the Church of Scotland.

Dedicated to the patron saint of Edinburgh, with origins dating to 1124 though the present church is largely from the 14th-15th centuries. The distinctive crown steeple was added around 1500. John Knox preached here during the Scottish Reformation in the 1560s. Contains the Thistle Chapel (1911), designed by Robert Lorimer for the Order of the Thistle. Not technically a cathedral today but retains the honorary title.