Old Saint Paul's, Edinburgh
Encyclopedia
Old Saint Paul's is an historic church of the Scottish Episcopal Church
in the heart of Edinburgh
's Old Town
in Scotland
. It stands on the site of the original home of the separate Scottish Episcopal Church, part of the Anglican Communion
, which evolved with the adoption of the Presbyterian governance by the established Church of Scotland
.
Its congregation originally formed a breakaway group from the city's St Giles' Cathedral, and became a pro-cathedral
.
.
The original congregation of Old Saint Paul's was a breakaway group from St. Giles' Cathedral
, which had become the Cathedral of Edinburgh in 1634. The last bishop at St. Giles', Alexander Rose
, left the Cathedral in 1689 accompanied by much of his congregation. He founded a new place of worship in an old wool store in Carrubber's Close - this lies close to the present site of Old Saint Paul's.
Many Episcopalians remained pro-Jacobite
during the Jacobite Rebellion, loyal to James and his descendants. Members of Saint Paul's were involved in the Jacobite struggle, including the Risings
of 1715 and 1745. One member of the congregation brought the news of Bonnie Prince Charlie's
victory at Prestonpans
to Edinburgh, shutting the town gates against the defeated Hanoverian army.
As a result of the Risings, Episcopalians and their places of worship were persecuted under law. It was only after the death of Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) in 1788 that the association of the Episcopalians with Jacobitism was shaken off. Penal laws were gradually repealed, and in that year the Scottish Synod resolved that George III
would be prayed for in all Episcopal Churches.
(architect of Saint Mary's Episcopal Cathedral
in the West End of Edinburgh). Two subsequent nave
extensions have trebled the building's original length, and the chancel
floor has been raised and laid with marble.
The High Altar
is made of carved oak in neo-Norman style with grape vine decoration, surmounted with a slab of porphyry
. Seven lamps represent the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Reredos
is in gilded oak, and was designed by Hay & Henderson in 1896. The lancet window depicts the crucifixion
, with St. Paul and St. Columba on either side. The roof of the nave is a hammer beam
structure with wooden gargoyles
. The pulpit is made of carved oak, with figures of Saints, and was built in 1892.
A memorial chapel was built in 1926 as a memorial to the lives lost in World War I
. It contains rolls of honour from both World Wars. This chapel also contains the Martyrs' Cross, a small iron cross that originally hung in the Grassmarket
opposite the gallows, and was the last object seen by condemned criminals before execution. Also, the chapel ordinarily houses a painting by Alison Watt, a Scottish artist.
and installed in 1888. Slight modifications were made to this instrument in 1936; it was electrified and enlarged in 1960 when a new console with tab stops
was provided. Further tonal modifications and additions were made in 1968.
, the hall is transformed into Venue 45 by theSpaceUK.
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
in the heart of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
's Old Town
Old Town, Edinburgh
The Old Town of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is the medieval part of the city. Together with the 18th-century New Town, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has preserved its medieval plan and many Reformation-era buildings....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It stands on the site of the original home of the separate Scottish Episcopal Church, part of the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
, which evolved with the adoption of the Presbyterian governance by the established Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
.
Its congregation originally formed a breakaway group from the city's St Giles' Cathedral, and became a pro-cathedral
Pro-cathedral
A pro-cathedral is a parish church that is temporarily serving as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese.-Usage:In Ireland, the term is used to specifically refer to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin since the Reformation, when Christ Church...
.
History
Although the present building dates from the 19th century, Old Saint Paul's has a history going back 300 years to the beginning of the Scottish Episcopal ChurchScottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
.
The original congregation of Old Saint Paul's was a breakaway group from St. Giles' Cathedral
St. Giles' Cathedral
St Giles' Cathedral, more properly termed the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Its distinctive crown steeple is a prominent feature of the city skyline, at about a third of the way down the Royal Mile which runs from the Castle to...
, which had become the Cathedral of Edinburgh in 1634. The last bishop at St. Giles', Alexander Rose
Alexander Rose
Alexander Rose of Edinburgh was a wood and ivory turner, following in the footsteps of his father, John, who came from Cromarty. He developed an interest in minerals and began a mineral collection, becoming a dealer in minerals...
, left the Cathedral in 1689 accompanied by much of his congregation. He founded a new place of worship in an old wool store in Carrubber's Close - this lies close to the present site of Old Saint Paul's.
Many Episcopalians remained pro-Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
during the Jacobite Rebellion, loyal to James and his descendants. Members of Saint Paul's were involved in the Jacobite struggle, including the Risings
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
of 1715 and 1745. One member of the congregation brought the news of Bonnie Prince Charlie's
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
victory at Prestonpans
Prestonpans
Prestonpans is a small town to the east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the unitary council area of East Lothian. It has a population of 7,153 . It is the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans, and has a history dating back to the 11th century...
to Edinburgh, shutting the town gates against the defeated Hanoverian army.
As a result of the Risings, Episcopalians and their places of worship were persecuted under law. It was only after the death of Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) in 1788 that the association of the Episcopalians with Jacobitism was shaken off. Penal laws were gradually repealed, and in that year the Scottish Synod resolved that George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
would be prayed for in all Episcopal Churches.
Building
The present building was designed by Hay and Henderson in the Early English style at a cost of £3500, and was completed in 1883. Hay had been a pupil of Sir George Gilbert ScottGeorge Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
(architect of Saint Mary's Episcopal Cathedral
St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Episcopal)
St Mary's Cathedral or the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary the Virgin is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built in the late 19th century in the West End of Edinburgh's New Town. The cathedral is the see of the Bishop of Edinburgh, one of seven bishops...
in the West End of Edinburgh). Two subsequent nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
extensions have trebled the building's original length, and the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
floor has been raised and laid with marble.
The High Altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
is made of carved oak in neo-Norman style with grape vine decoration, surmounted with a slab of porphyry
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
. Seven lamps represent the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
is in gilded oak, and was designed by Hay & Henderson in 1896. The lancet window depicts the crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
, with St. Paul and St. Columba on either side. The roof of the nave is a hammer beam
Hammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof, in architecture, is the name given to an open timber roof, typical of English Gothic architecture, using short beams projecting from the wall.- Design :...
structure with wooden gargoyles
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
. The pulpit is made of carved oak, with figures of Saints, and was built in 1892.
A memorial chapel was built in 1926 as a memorial to the lives lost in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It contains rolls of honour from both World Wars. This chapel also contains the Martyrs' Cross, a small iron cross that originally hung in the Grassmarket
Grassmarket
The Grassmarket is an historic market square in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland.In relation to the rest of the city the area is a hollow, well below surrounding ground levels.-Location:...
opposite the gallows, and was the last object seen by condemned criminals before execution. Also, the chapel ordinarily houses a painting by Alison Watt, a Scottish artist.
The Organ
The present organ was built by Father Henry WillisHenry Willis & Sons
thumb|250px|St Bees Priory organ, the last major instrument to be personally supervised by "Father" Henry Willis, 1899Henry Willis & Sons is a British firm of pipe organ builders founded in 1845 in Liverpool. Although most of their installations have been in the UK, examples can be found in other...
and installed in 1888. Slight modifications were made to this instrument in 1936; it was electrified and enlarged in 1960 when a new console with tab stops
Organ stop
An organ stop is a component of a pipe organ that admits pressurized air to a set of organ pipes. Its name comes from the fact that stops can be used selectively by the organist; some can be "on" , while others can be "off" .The term can also refer...
was provided. Further tonal modifications and additions were made in 1968.
The Church Hall
Beneath the Church is a sizeable hall. During the Edinburgh Festival FringeEdinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
, the hall is transformed into Venue 45 by theSpaceUK.