You will always find a chapel or five in a cathedral. They are often dedicated to different saints and martyrs, and allow a quiet place for prayer and contemplation. (Or allowed earlier members of religious orders to hold Mass privately.) Some are more notable than others, though. For me, a few chapels stand out in my memory- the Thistle Chapel is one of those chapels. With its namesake fauna on the ceiling, it is unforgettable. Today I am going to explore the history of the Thistle Chapel at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh!
What is the Order of the Thistle?
The Order of the Thistle is a Scottish order of chivalry, second only to the Order of the Garter. There are sixteen Knights and Ladies, and currently three Extra Knights and Ladies.
The Original Thistle Chapel
The Thistle Chapel has a bit of an interesting history. The original Thistle Chapel was not in St. Giles’ as it is today but actually in Holyrood Abbey. King James VII founded the order in 1687 (you may know him as King James II), and decided that the order’s chapel would be at Holyrood.
Unfortunately, as one might imagine, the chapel did not outlast James’ deposition as King. In late 1688, a rather angry mob destroyed the chapel’s interior. The Abbey as a whole fell into disrepair and ruin in the eighteenth century and remains a ruin to this day.
The Present Thistle Chapel
The current Thistle Chapel only dates back to the reign of King Edward VII. Queen Anne revived the order in 1703, but there was no chapel for the order. Several places were suggested over the following 200 years, but it was not until Ronald Leslie-Melville, the 11th Earl of Leven and 10th Earl of Melville, developed a fund to restore Holyrood Abbey for the chapel in the early twentieth century.
Those plans fell apart but Edward instructed that the chapel be built in St. Giles’. It was finished in 1910, but was officially opened by the following monarch, King George V. It is still used by the Knights of the Thistle every second year when new knights are installed, as well as for a service on the Sunday closest to Saint Andrew’s Day.
Were you familiar with the history of the Thistle Chapel at St. Giles’?
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
