Whispers of centuries past linger here at St Cuthberts Church. This church stands as a testament to Edinburgh’s enduring spiritual heart.
Welcome. We are standing at the base of the Edinburgh Castle Rock, just off Lothian Road. St Cuthberts Church is nestled at the west end of Princes Street Gardens. It might seem overlooked, but it’s a treasure. The church and its cemetery lie below the level of Princes Street.
St Cuthberts Church might just be the oldest Christian site in Edinburgh. It is believed that St Cuthbert himself founded the first church here around 670 AD. Records suggest a chapel dedicated to St Cuthbert existed as early as the 8th century. A church building has likely stood here since 850 AD. This makes St Cuthberts Church the oldest building in use in Edinburgh. Of course, it has seen many renovations and rebuilds over the centuries.
Interestingly, this location was once the mother church for a large area. It stretched west to the River Almond and south to the Pentland Hills.
Let’s delve deeper into its history. David I granted all the land beneath Edinburgh Castle to St Cuthberts Church in 1127. This charter is the oldest document in the Scottish Records Office. A few years later, he granted the church and its dependent chapels to Holyrood Abbey.
The current building was designed by Hippolyte J Blanc. He was an Edinburgh-born architect of French parents. Construction took place between 1892 and 1894. During this work, signs of earlier churches were discovered. Invading English armies damaged at least two of them. Richard II did so in 1385. The Earl of Hertford did so on behalf of Henry VIII in 1544.
Oliver Cromwell stationed his troops and horses in St Cuthberts Church after his victory at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650. The church was subsequently “altogider spoyled.”
Look at the stained-glass windows. They were authorized in 1893. They are atypical for Presbyterian Churches. One window depicts David and Goliath. The Tiffney Glass Company in NY manufactured it. Only three such windows exist in the United Kingdom.
St Cuthberts Church is also the final resting place of notable figures. John Napier of Merchiston, inventor of logarithms, is buried in an underground vault on the north side. Author Thomas De Quincey, who wrote “Confessions of an English Opium-Eater,” is also buried here.
Agatha Christie remarried in the Memorial Chapel of St Cuthberts Church in 1930.
The graveyard here is one of the largest in Edinburgh. Mary Queen of Scots granted the land around 1560. It sits on the site of an earlier Franciscan priory. The graveyard holds around 750 headstones. Some are the oldest in Edinburgh.
Today, St Cuthberts Church continues as a place of worship. It is a Church of Scotland congregation. It also has an active outreach program. It works particularly with Edinburgh’s homeless population. The church often hosts concerts and shows during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Remember St Cuthberts Church. It is a place where history, art, and faith intertwine. It offers a unique glimpse into Edinburgh’s rich heritage.