The Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling

The Church of the Holy Rude is directly next to Stirling Castle – I’d spotted its interestingly designed building on the way up to the castle and made sure to visit on my way back down. One of the church’s main claims to fame is that Mary, Queen of Scots worshipped here and her infant son James was crowned here as James VI of Scots in 1567. This church and Westminster Abbey in London are the only churches in Britain where a coronation has taken place and that is still used regularly for worship.

It was founded in 1129 as the parish church for Stirling. Holy Rude is the medieval term for the Crucifiction cross. A fire in 1405 destroyed the original church, along with a large part of the town.

I received a warm welcome at the church (surprisingly considering how busy the castle was I was the only visitor) and was given a brief intro to the church’s history. Tickets cost £5.

One of the spots to look out for is the writing on the floor denoting where James was crowned.

But what really stands out are the stained glass windows. This one is near the main door and known as the Guildry Window depicting the history of the Merchant Guilds of Stirling. I was directed to look out for the ring image (on the right). This is thought to have been a gift from David II in 1360.

And this war memorial stained glass window is particularly well done. It was commissioned to remember the 6000+ members of the Regimental Association of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (as seen at the castle) who died during WWI.

Definitely worth visiting if you’re in Stirling, the church has a fascinating history, as does the surrounding churchyard which you’ll find more about in its own post.