St Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh
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St Margaret's Chapel, in Edinburgh Castle, is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh, Scotland.[1] An example of Romanesque architecture, it is a category A listed building.[2] It was constructed in the 12th century, but fell into disuse after the Reformation. In the 19th century the chapel was restored and today is cared for by the St Margaret's Chapel Guild.
History
Founding of the chapel
It was originally thought that St Margaret herself worshipped in this small chapel, but the style of the architecture indicates that it was built during the reign of David I, her fourth son, who ruled from 1124–1153.[4] The chapel formed part of a larger building, located to the north, which contained the castle's royal lodgings.[5]
On the night of 14 March 1314 the castle was captured by
Disuse and restoration
The chapel fell into disuse at the Protestant Reformation, and was used as a gunpowder store from the 16th century. By 1845 the chapel formed a store room at the western end of the 18th century garrison chapel, when the antiquarian Sir Daniel Wilson realised the significance of the chapel and publicised the building. The garrison chapel was demolished and St Margaret's Chapel restored in 1851–1852 with the support of Queen Victoria. The barrel-vault over the nave was added at this time, in keeping with the architectural style of the earlier fabric.[2] The architect Hippolyte Blanc proposed an enlargement later in the 19th century, but this was rejected.[2] The stained glass was installed in 1922. In 1929 further work was carried out to bring the chapel back into use, and the restored and refurnished chapel was dedicated on 16 March 1934.
St Margaret's Chapel Guild
The St Margaret's Chapel Guild was started in 1942 under the patronage of Princess Margaret and the leadership of Lady Russell. In 1993 as a commemoration of the 900th anniversary of the death of St Margaret, Historic Scotland renovated the chapel and St Margaret's Chapel Guild refurbished it with a new altar cloth, ten bench seats, an alms chest, a flower stand, and a display case for a facsimile of the St Margaret's Gospel book. Members of St Margaret's Chapel Guild now have a tradition of ensuring that there are always fresh flowers in the chapel to welcome visitors. Membership of the Guild is reserved only for those with the first or middle name Margaret, or a name derived from Margaret.[6] Baptisms and weddings are held at the chapel.
Architecture
The small irregular stone building has some similarity to earlier Scottish and
The five stained-glass windows were made by
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St Margaret of Scotland
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St Andrew
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St Columba
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St Ninian
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William Wallace
References
Notes
- ^ "Pre-1750 Buildings in Edinburgh Old Town Conservation Area". City of Edinburgh Council, City Development Department. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
- ^ a b c (Historic Environment Scotland & LB48228)
- ^ ""St Margaret's Chapel", Edinburgh Castle". Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Fernie (1986), pp.400–403
- ^ Wilson (1887), p.295
- ^ "St Margaret's Chapel Guild". Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
Bibliography
- MacGibbon and Ross, Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland (1887) 445-63, fig402
- RCAHMS, Inventory Edinburgh (1951) pp. 1–25.
- "Edinburgh Castle, St Margaret's Chapel". Canmore. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- Fernie, Eric (1986). "Early church architecture in Scotland" (PDF). Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 116: 393–411. S2CID 55675266.
- Grant, James (c. 1890). Old and New Edinburgh. Vol. I. Cassell and Co. pp. 19, 20, 24.
- Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh Castle, St Margaret's Chapel (Category A Listed Building) (LB48228)". Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- MacIvor, Iain (1993). Edinburgh Castle. B. T. Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-7295-2.
- ISBN 978-0-14-071068-7.
- S2CID 195390950.
- Wilson, Daniel (1891). Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time. Vol. I (2nd ed.). Adam & Charles Black.
External links
Media related to St. Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh at Wikimedia Commons