Description of the attraction
Greyfriars Kirk is a parish church located in the center of Edinburgh. It was built on the site where the Franciscan abbey - "the abode of the gray brothers" ("Gray Friars") was located before the Reformation.
This is one of the oldest buildings outside the Old City in Edinburgh, construction of the church began in 1602 and ended in 1620. For many years the church consisted of two buildings - the old (1614) and the new (1718) This is the first church built in Edinburgh after the Reformation.
This church has played an important role in the history of the Scottish Covenanters - members of the Scottish national movement for the protection of the Presbyterian Church. It was here that the National Covenant was promulgated in 1638.
In 1845, a fire damaged the interior of the church. During the restoration, the first stained glass window in the Presbyterian church and one of the first organs were installed here. The partition separating the old and new church was demolished in 1938. The church now hosts services in English and Scottish (Gaelic) on Sundays.
The church is also famous for its cemetery, where many famous people are buried. There is also a ghost here - Bloody George Mackenzie, who can leave bruises or scratches as a keepsake.
But the most famous, of course, is Greyfriars Bobby - a faithful Skye Terrier who lived for 14 years on the grave of his master. The Lord Provost of Edinburgh himself paid a tax on dogs for him and put a collar with a nameplate on him. A year after the death of the dog, Baroness Burdett-Cutts paid for the installation of a monument to the faithful dog. Bobby is buried near the cemetery gate, and his grave is engraved with the inscription: "May his loyalty and dedication be a lesson to us all." Bobby's story has formed the basis of several books and films.
