Church of the Holy Rude on St John Street

A church has stood on this site since 1129 when King David I gave Dominican Friars instruction to construct a chapel, here. In the following 900 years it was burned down by the marauding Clan Douglas, caught up in the blood and thunder of Reformation, it's 15th-century tower walls pockmarked with musket-fire as the Castle sought to defend itself in following centuries from attacking Covenanters, Roundheads and Jacobites, and, like the town itself, was literally split in two in the 1650s by a dividing wall separating the main congregation from that of the radical cleric, James Guthrie...

The history of the Holy Rude - it takes it's name from the Old English word 'rude', meaning 'wood'...the wood of the 'True Cross' - mirrors the history of Stirling, and of Scotland.

Still in active use by local Church of Scotland congregations, it is the only British church, apart from Westminster Abbey in London, to have hosted a Coronation - the infant King James VI of Scotland (later James I of England) having been crowned here on the 29th July 1567.

A triumph of Mediaeval splendour and post-Reformation decoration, this is - even for those who are not religiously inclined - a magnificent building...and a must-see location for visitors.

Further Information

The Holy Rude is staffed by volunteers, so opening hours are limited to 11am-4pm between April and September. Visitors are welcome to attend Sunday services, throughout the year. Though free to the public, donations to help preserve this fine building are welcome. For further details visit http://www.holyrude.org