St Giles' Cathedral

Church of Scotland

Discover 1,000 years of history in the heart of Edinburgh.

Founded in the 1120s, St Giles' was the church of John Knox during the Reformation and is often referred to as the 'Cradle of Presbyterianism'. Highlights of a visit include our beautiful stained glass windows. The impressive Rieger organ was installed in 1992 and the famous Thistle Chapel, home of the Knights of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland's great order of chivalry designed by Robert Lorimer for the Order of the Thistle, was added in 1911

St Giles' is situated on the historic Royal Mile, halfway between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Volunteer guides are available to welcome visitors, answer questions and conduct guided tours on request.

Service Times

We have a short daily service at 12 noon Mon-Sat and services of Holy Communion at 8am on Wed and Fri and at 6pm on Saturdays. On Sundays, our service times are as follows:

8.00 am Morning Service ( Holy Communion )
10.00 am Morning Service ( Choir, Sermon, Holy Communion )
11.30 am Morning Service ( Choir, Sermon )
6.00 pm St. Giles at Six ( Programme of music and/or address )
8.00 pm Evening Service ( Holy Communion on last Sunday of month )

Music & Events

The Cathedral hosts an extensive programme of musical events throughout the year, many of which are free to attend. Our St Giles' at Six recitals series takes place every Sunday at 6pm. There are organ recitals on Thursday lunchtimes in April-June and Sept-Oct and on Wednesday evenings in July. There are also regular free lunchtime concerts throughout the summer. Please contact us for details or visit our website at www.stgilescathedral.org.uk.

Cathedral Shop & Restaurant

The Cathedral shop stocks a wide variety of attractive souvenirs, gifts, books and CDs, including a specialist range relating to the Cathedral itself. It is open Mon-Fri 10am - 4pm and Sat 10.30am - 4pm (later in summer).