St Giles' Cathedral
Central to the Scottish Reformation and Protestant protest
About this Site
St Giles' Cathedral, the principal church of Edinburgh, was at the very centre of the Scottish Reformation. In 1637, the infamous riot broke out when Jenny Geddes reportedly hurled a stool at the minister who attempted to read from the new Book of Common Prayer imposed by Charles I. This act of defiance sparked the chain of events that led directly to the National Covenant.
1637
Historical Significance
St Giles' is where John Knox preached the Reformation into being and where resistance to royal religious policy first erupted into open protest. The cathedral embodies the long struggle between Crown authority and the Scottish Kirk's independence. It was here that the battle lines were drawn between those who sought a Presbyterian Scotland and those who would impose episcopacy from London.