Very good night’s sleep last night. We had cereal for breakfast then headed downtown to visit some churches we have seen from the outside but have never gone in.
First was St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Mother Church of the diocese of Edinburgh in the Scottish Episcopal Church. This was a beautiful church, inside and out. Outside were soaring spires that are the tallest in Edinburgh. The neo-Gothic building was consecrated in 1879. The King Charles Chapel within the church contained the family pew of Sir Walter Scott—and since I am a distant relative, I decided to have a seat. Amazing to sit where such an illustrious descendant once worshipped. The Resurrection Chapel is dominated by the Millennium Window, designed by Paolozzi, and the sun shining through it projected the colors onto the pews and floor beautifully.
The lectern had a brass Pelican mother bird on it, in the tradition of feeding her young by plucking blood from her breast. Hmmm. On another lectern was the cross that looked very similar to the Knights Templar crosses, only in green this time. The door to the church was very ornate and heavy.
Then we walked back towards Princes Street and stopped in at Paper Tiger to shop for Halloween cards—but to my surprise, there were none! Is that not a tradition over here? No Halloween cards? Or am I just early. But to send overseas to my girls, I need to shop early. Never mind, I found a solution online.
Then we walked up to St. John’s, also part of the Scottish Episcopal Church. This is the church beside St. Cuthbert’s Graveyard. When this church was built in 1818, the aisle windows were infilled with clear glass and the east end had a window which was literally painted. The techniques of making true stained glass had been lost. Circa 1850-55, the techniques were rediscovered and gradually, the clear windows and painted one were replaced by stained glass ones depicting scenes from Jesus’ life.
The site where the church was built was once a market garden. This is the only building allowed to obscure the view of the castle from Princes Street, for property owners got an act of Parliament passed that decreed such. The church was designed in the revived perpendicular gothic style. The most notable internal feature is the ornate plaster ceiling vault, which is derived from King Henry VII’s chapel in Westminster Abbey. The stained glass windows cast colorful reflections on the pews and the whit columns. During World War II, 6000 soldiers in transit slept in the space below the church and were cared for by members of the congregation.
This church takes a strong stance against war. In the back of the chapel was the Hiroshima Tree by George Wyllie. He was a British serviceman in the Pacific War at the time of Hiroshima. He was one of the few who accepted the invitation to visit Hiroshima and was so moved by what he saw that he has been bitterly opposed to the bomb ever since. This piece of art by him represents what he saw there—dead tree stumps, pulverized stone, glass, and ashes.
We went home after this so Ray could rest his back and take a nap, then we took the 35 bus to the Royal Mile to check on the Brass Rubbing Centre—and it was open! Too late in the day to begin a rubbing, but we scoped the place out and have definite plans to go back on the next rainy day.
Speaking of which, Ray says that up until he left here to go pick me up in London, the weather in Edinburgh was absolutely miserable. Since I arrived, it has been nothing but sunny, blue skies every day. Guess I brought the good weather with me.
We walked back down to Holyrood and took the path to climb up to St. Anthony’s Chapel. It stands in ruins on a rocky outcrop looking over the swans on St. Margaret’s Loch. No one knows much about the history of the chapel, but it is thought to date before the 1300s. It may have been associated with Holyrood Abbey as there are the remains of a stone path still seen in places. From the chapel you can clearly see most of Edinburgh, Leith and the River Forth. Just below the chapel is St. Anthony’s Well, reputedly its water being a cure for skin disease. St. Anthony’s relics were associated with cures for the painful skin disease, erysipelas, which was known as St Anthony's Fire. This disease was a serious problem in Edinburgh in the 15th century and a hospital was established in Leith in 1430 for its treatment.
If I had any thought of dipping my hand into this well OR ANY type of skin disease, I most certainly would not have done so once I saw the condition of the water today—green, slimy, and with filth floating in it. THAT would cure no one of anything—might even GIVE you a disease.
We walked back to the apartment across Holyrood Park—so nice of us to allow visitors to use our backyard for reading, kite-flying, cricket matches, etc. After Ray’s run, we took the bus down to Morrisons for their super inexpensive dinners. I think this may become a tradition—on days we buy a bus pass, we also go to Morrisons to eat.
***pictures from top: Exterior of St. Mary's Cathedral; interior of St. Mary's; Interior of St. John's Church; vaulted ceiling of St. John's; stained glass reflections on the columns and pews of St. John's.
