At the foot of Edinburgh Castle, St Cuthbert’s is a church on a site traditionally linked to the seventh-century missionary Cuthbert. The present building opened in 1894 and has ornate decoration, Gothic touches and Tiffany stained-glass windows depicting David and Goliath. Its churchyard offers a quieter place to explore, with graves of writer Thomas De Quincey, mathematician John Napier and William Macao, Scotland’s first naturalised Chinese citizen. Visit the Memorial Chapel, which survives from an earlier church on the site.
A church site with a long history
St Cuthbert’s stands on a site associated with Christian worship in Edinburgh for many centuries. Tradition says the Celtic missionary Cuthbert preached here in the seventh century and established the first church. The site is thought to have held a church since around the ninth century, though the earlier buildings have largely disappeared.
Seven church buildings are said to have stood here over time. The site’s history includes damage and destruction during battles for Edinburgh Castle in the 16th and 17th centuries. The current church, completed in 1894, retained the tower and spire from the 1775 building. The spire has four clock faces.
Inside the church and around the graveyard
The current building combines Baroque style with Gothic touches. Its ornate interior includes Tiffany stained glass depicting the biblical story of David and Goliath. The Memorial Chapel is another surviving part of the earlier church, and is associated with Agatha Christie’s marriage.
The surrounding churchyard is among Edinburgh’s largest and includes the graves of people with varied histories. Among them are writer Thomas De Quincey, known for Confessions of an English Opium Eater, mathematician John Napier, associated with logarithms, and William Macao, Scotland’s first naturalised Chinese citizen.
Häufige Fragen
How old is St Cuthbert’s Church?
The present church was completed in 1894. The site is traditionally linked to the seventh-century missionary Cuthbert and is thought to have held a church since around the ninth century.
What can you see inside St Cuthbert’s Church?
The interior has ornate decoration and Tiffany stained-glass windows depicting David and Goliath. The Memorial Chapel survives from the 1775 church.
Who is buried in St Cuthbert’s churchyard?
The churchyard includes the graves of writer Thomas De Quincey, mathematician John Napier and William Macao, Scotland’s first naturalised Chinese citizen.
