Description of the attraction
Holyrood (Holy Cross) Church in Stirling is the oldest building in the city after Stirling Castle. It was built in 1129 during the reign of King David I of Scotland. King Robert II built an altar in honor of the Holy Crucifixion, and the church became known as the "Parish Church of the Holy Cross in the city of Sterling". A huge fire in March 1405, which destroyed most of Stirling, did not spare the church. The oldest surviving parts of the building date back to 1414 - the nave, the south aisle with round Scottish columns, Gothic arches, a roof with oak beams and the main tower. The eastern part of the church was built in 1507-1546. King James IV personally took part in this construction. In 1567, the son of Mary Stuart, James VI, the future king of the united England and Scotland, James I, was crowned here. The ceremony was led by the famous Reformation pastor John Knox. Thus, Holyrood Church is the only active church in Scotland to host the coronation ceremony.
The church has always enjoyed the support and patronage of the Stuart royal family. Perhaps that is why she managed to survive during the Scottish Reformation. The church lost its decorations, but it did not suffer the sad fate of most of the Scottish temples and monasteries, which were destroyed to the ground. The bullet marks are still visible on the tower - traces of the siege of the castle by the troops of Oliver Cromwell. During the Reformation, the church was divided by a wall into two halves, services were conducted independently of each other. The partition was removed only in 1936 during the restoration of the church. Also, large-scale restoration work was carried out in the church in the 60s and 90s of the XX century.
