By Sharon Whitley Larsen
One of my favorite cities is Edinburgh — which I've visited eight times. With a population today near a half-million, it was built on "beer, biscuits, books" (brewing, baking and printing trades). And besides its famous castle and royal connections — from Mary, Queen of Scots, to Queen Elizabeth II — it also has some historic gems, delightful restaurants and amazing museums, some of them free.
I love strolling along the popular Royal Mile between the Palace of Holyrood (the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland) and the famed Edinburgh Castle, which I never tire of touring.
Along the Royal Mile is the People's Story Museum, always a favorite stop of mine, as well as the Museum of Edinburgh, the Museum of Childhood, the John Knox House, the Writers' Museum and Gladstone's Land (a 17th-century furnished historic house).
On my most recent trip — after again touring the Palace of Holyrood on a gorgeous day — I sat on a bench outside the 17th century Canongate Kirk (church) to rest my tour-weary feet. And as I looked at the unique Dutch gable-end-style church exterior, it dawned on me that on previous visits I had always passed by it but had never peeked inside.
In the narthex several color photos are proudly displayed of Queen Elizabeth II, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday, marking her visit here on July 3, 2016. And her granddaughter, Zara Phillips (daughter of Princess Anne), married here on July 30, 2011, with many royal family members — including the queen and Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — in attendance. This was the first royal wedding to be held in Scotland in 20 years, and unlike massive Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral, the Canongate Kirk is a rather modest venue for such an event.
But it has an interesting history, which includes a royal beginning. It's said that King David I, while riding his horse in the nearby forest — now the grounds of the Palace of Holyrood — became separated from his companions while hunting on a misty day. Suddenly a white stag came galloping toward him, frightening his horse, who tossed him to the ground. Fearing being gored, King David I must have said the right kind of prayer because a vision of the Holy Cross (or Rood) miraculously appeared between the stag's antlers, stopping the stag in his tracks. The stag turned and ran off, much to the king's relief.
Later, giving thanks, the king founded the abbey in 1128 in honor of the Holy Cross, the Virgin and all saints.
The ruins of this original Abbey of the Holy Rood can be seen behind the Palace of Holyrood. Many of Scotland's sovereigns were baptized, married, crowned and buried there; Charles I was the last king to be crowned in 1633. In 1688 Roman Catholic King James VII (James II of England) took control of the abbey church for use as the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle, offering to build another one in its place. That nearby building, now where this present Protestant (Church of Scotland, or Presbyterian) church is located, was completed in 1690, costing 1,900 pounds, paid from funds previously donated by a wealthy merchant, Thomas Moodie, whose coat of arms is prominently displayed above the church entrance.
"Canongate Kirk is one of the simplest buildings in Edinburgh," noted the Rev. Charles Robertson, chaplain to the queen in Scotland and minister at Canongate between 1978 and 2006. "When they come in people are sometimes disappointed as a first reaction because there is nothing very grand or elaborate about the place. It is, however, a building which repays a little quiet study; it is a marvelous place for sitting and meditating. Its peace, harmony and unity are promoted by its architecture, with wonderfully balancing circles and semicircles, arches and pillars. The clear windows let us see out and the world see in, so that there is no obstruction between the church and the community outside — the one flows into the other. So people coming in and quietly sitting down find a peace stealing over them which is remarkably refreshing and re-creating... . I think the first and most obvious thing people notice are the colors which hang above the nave, standing out from the pillars and adding a splash of color to the ceiling. . . ."
Throughout the decades the church has been renovated several times and the interior was extensively remodeled in 1882; then changes were made after World War II, with a dramatic transformation to white walls and light blue pews. Queen Elizabeth II visited the church on June 25, 1952, on her first visit to Edinburgh as a reigning sovereign, the first reigning monarch to enter the present building. Since then the royal family has worshipped here. In 1991 the church had more renovations done, when the queen unveiled the royal coat of arms to the congregation's delight.
The legend of King David I and the white stag is depicted throughout the church exterior and interior via items that include stag antlers with a cross in the middle atop the church; a stag's head and antlers, presented to the church by King George VI; artwork; and on the communion table's embroidered frontal panel, which was designed and presented by members of the congregation.
On the day I visited there were a few other tourists gazing around the church, quietly chatting, sitting on the pews or taking photos of the prominent Standards of the Royal British Legion Scotland. The magnificent Frobenius pipe organ was installed in 1998, and the church serves as a concert venue.
Several prominent artists, writers, clergy, philosophers, scholars, philanthropists and physicians are buried in the Canongate Kirkyard. They include the economist Adam Smith, author of "The Wealth of Nations"; John Ballantyne of the famed publishing firm John Ballantyne and Sons (and a friend of Sir Walter Scott); and poet Robert Fergusson, whose statue is "walking" on the sidewalk out front.
This is also the resting place of Agnes Maclehose, who was revealed to be "Clarinda" — the married yet separated correspondent sweetheart of Robert Burns, who composed poems to her that were published after her 1841 death.
Reportedly David Rizzio, the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots — fatally stabbed 56 times in front of her by her husband, Lord Darnley, and his cohorts — is buried here, although there's been some dispute. Above the grave is a plaque: "Tradition says that this is the grave of David Riccio 1533-66 transported from Holyrood."
It's worth the short walk to the Palace of Holyrood to see the rooms where this crime took place on March 9, 1566; some say they can still see the bloodstains.
WHEN YOU GO
Canongate Kirk: www.canongatekirk.org.uk
Palace of Holyrood: www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse
I stayed at the Apex Waterloo Place Hotel: www.apexhotels.co.uk/en/hotels/edinburgh.
My favorite Edinburgh restaurants (reservations a must):
The Witchery by the Castle: www.thewitchery.com
Field: www.fieldrestaurant.co.uk
The Grain Store: www.grainstore-restaurant.co.uk
Jamie's Italian: www.jamieoliver.com/italian/restaurants/edinburgh
And, the pub, established in 1360, where Queen Elizabeth II dined last summer (I'll have to give it a try!): the Sheep Heid Inn: www.thesheepheidedinburgh.co.uk
For more information: www.visitscotland.com and www.visitbritain.com.
Sharon Whitley Larsen is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com
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