Elgin Cathedral
Elgin Cathedral is one of Scotland’s most famous cathedral ruins and is located in the market center of Elgin on the north coast. The cathedral dates back to the 13th century and was laid to rubble in 1390 on the orders of Alexander Stuart, an illegitimate son of Robert I. The Gothic cross basilica was previously known as the “lantern of the north”.
Ruthwell Cross
This monumental cross is set in the floor of the small church at Ruthwell, in the southwest Lowlands. It is richly carved, dates from the 7th century and represents one of the most valuable works of art of the “dark ages”.
Melrose Abbey
The Gothic Cistercian abbey in the market town of Melrose in the Borders was built on the ruins of an abbey built by David I in 1136. The sculptural jewelry is a real attraction. Next to the abbey is the walled Priorwood Garden, which also houses a cemetery.
St. Giles ‘Cathedral
St. Giles’ Cathedral or the High Kirk of Edinburgh is at the center of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. With its two crown towers and the Thistle Chapel, the mother of the Presbyterian Church is a sacred building that is well worth seeing. The church was built around 1120 and was the church of John Knox during the Reformation, hence the term “cradle of Prebyterianism”. The colorful glass ornaments, the impressive Rieger organ and the famous Thistle Chapel are particularly worth seeing and magnificent.
Royal Mile, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, EH1 1RE
Tel: 0131 225 9442 Fax: 0131 225 9576
Email: info@stgilescathedral.org.uk
Website: www.stgilescathedral.org.uk
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel Trust, Rosslyn Chapel, Roslin, Edinburgh, EH25 9PU
Tel. 0044- (0) 131-440 2159
This beautiful medieval chapel is outside the city and is one of the oldest churches in the area. It was built in the 15th century and there are impressive wood carvings inside.
Canongate Kirk Church
Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH8 8BN
Tel. 0044- (0) 131-226 5138
Cannongate Kirk is without a doubt one of the most beautiful churches in the city. It was built in 1688. The Royal Family visits this place of worship when in Edinburgh.
St. Nicholas Kirk
The St. Nicholas Kirk in Aberdeen is one of the largest parish churches in Scotland. The facade, which was built in 1830, is particularly worth seeing. The western part of the church was built in the Italian style, the choir in the Gothic Renaissance style.
St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Aberdeen
St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Aberdeen is the Scottish Bishops Cathedral. It was here that Bishop Samuel Seabury was consecrated, and for the 150th anniversary of that consecration, the cathedral was renovated in the 1930s.
St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow
St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow is a Catholic religious building in the center of the city. It was built by architect James Gillespie Graham and completed in 1817. It was built in Gothic style on the north bank of the River Clyde on Clyde Street.
St. Mungo’s Cathedral
Castle Street
In the middle of the East End, old Glasgow, is this smog-blackened sacred building. As early as the 6th century, St. Mungo is said to have built a church here, which was the nucleus of Glasgow. The founder of the town and church is buried in the beautiful crypt under the choir; once this tomb was a popular pilgrimage destination. Today’s church was built between the 13th and 15th centuries and can be seen from afar with its pointed crossing tower. In front of the church is the fascinating Necropolis, a Victorian burial city. Obelisks, Celtic crosses, neoclassical round temples, mossy pillars and dark family tombs stand here.
Memorial to the victims of Lockerbie
The simple but poignant memorial (Garden of Remembrance) for the victims of the bombing is located in the cemetery of the parish of Lockerbie, Dryfedale Cemetry in the south of Scotland, on the M74 motorway about 120 km southwest of Glasgow on a Pan America Flight 103 jumbo jet on December 21, 1988, which was to fly from London to New York. All inmates of the Jumbo and eleven residents of the village were killed in the attack, a total of 270 people were killed. Libya assumed responsibility for this attack and paid high compensation to the bereaved.
Stone of destiny
The stone of destiny is a mythical coronation stone of the Scots. It was located in Westminster Abbey in London/England and was only returned to the Scots by Queen Elizabeth II on November 15, 1996. By the way, Elisabeth was the last queen to be crowned on the stone in 1952. Since then, it has been located at Edinburgh Castle together with the Scottish coronation insignia, the crown, the scepter, the sword and the crown jewels. Incidentally, there is an imitation of the stone in front of the Castle of Scone.
On the stone, the first Scottish king, Kenneth I Mac Alpin, was crowned the “king of kingdom of alba” in 843 AD. The last coronation of a Scottish king on the stone took place in 1292 when John Balliol became king Four years later, in 1296, Edward I (1239-1307) invaded Scotland from England and abducted the coronation stone, which he regarded as an important symbol of Scottish sovereignty, to Enland built coronation throne built in.
What was the significance of the stone for the Scots and has turned out not least in the fact that in 1950 four Scottish students stole the stone from Westminster Abbey and brought into the Arbroath Abbey, where he later returned four months after London has been.
According to one of the myths, it came from the Holy Land, where Jacob is said to have used it as a headrest. From the Holy Land it is said to have reached Ireland via Egypt, Sicily and Spain, where Saint Patrick is said to have blessed him as the coronation utensil of the future kings.
Indeed, it is possible that the stone was already used in the coronation ceremonies during the existence of the Irish Kingdom of Dalriada from AD 400 to around AD 850. When the King of Dalriada, Kenneth I, extended his rule to Scotland, the stone could have reached Scotland this way. But however it may have been, the more puzzles surround the stone, the more mystical and interesting it becomes.