Kirk of the Canongate

About

The Kirk of the Canongate, or Canongate Kirk, serves the Parish of Canongate in Edinburgh's Old Town, in Scotland. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. The parish includes the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. It is also the parish church of Edinburgh Castle, even though the castle is detached from the rest of the parish. The wedding of Zara Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter, and former England rugby captain Mike Tindall took place at the church on 30 July 2011. The late Queen Elizabeth II used to attend services in the church on some of her frequent visits to Edinburgh.

Background: After the Reformation the congregation of the Canongate continued to use Holyrood Abbey for worship. However, in September 1672 the Privy Council forbade its continuing use, such that the King might utilise the structure as a Chapel Royal. The congregation were instructed to use Lady Yester's Church while a new church was constructed.

On 28 June 1687, James VII dispatched a letter from Windsor Castle to the Privy Council of Scotland with an order that Holyrood Abbey be repurposed as a Roman Catholic chapel for the newly founded Order of...