Canongate Kirk
A Presbyterian kirk standing beside royal authority
About this Site
Canongate Kirk was built in 1688 after King James VII converted the Abbey Church of Holyrood into a Chapel Royal for the Order of the Thistle, displacing the Canongate congregation. The Kirk was built in a restrained, dignified style that reflects Presbyterian values of simplicity in worship. It has served the Canongate parish continuously since its founding.
1637
Historical Significance
The very existence of Canongate Kirk is a product of the tension between royal and Presbyterian authority. Built because a monarch displaced a congregation for his own purposes, the Kirk stands as a quiet statement of Presbyterian resilience. Its proximity to the Palace of Holyroodhouse places it in constant dialogue with the Crown, embodying the uneasy relationship between church and state that defined the Covenanting era.