Edinburgh was founded as a royal burgh by David I in the early twelfth
century, though there had been a settlement on what became Castle Rock
for centuries before that. King David is also thought to be responsible
for the city's oldest building, a chapel built in honour of his mother,
Queen Margaret, who was later declared a saint. Churches of Edinburgh
looks at the city's churches, from this earliest surviving example to
the award-winning Chapel of Saint Albert the Great, which opened some
900 years later. It tells their stories, discusses their architecture
and points out their notable features, as well as outlining the
important part that some of Edinburgh's churches have played in major
events in Scottish history such as the Reformation or the National
Covenant. The churches featured include, among many others, the ruined
thirteenth-century abbey that was once a meeting place for the Scottish
Parliament, the church that retains a seat for Queen Victoria and the
one that has its own canal boat. There is also the story of the
fifteenth-century church that was demolished in 1848 but was later
partially rebuilt elsewhere, and that of the important artworks that lie
hidden beneath the paintwork of another city church. This fascinating
picture of an important part of the history of Edinburgh over the
centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting
Scotland's capital city.
