Something else to see in Edinburgh: Canongate Kirk

Canongate Kirk — “kirk,” that’s what they call churches in Scotland — is at the lower end of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, near Holyrood Palace.

Built in 1690, its plain, light-blue interior, without embellishments such as stained-glass windows, reflects the country’s conversion to Protestantism in the 16th century, under fire-and-brimstone-breathing Scottish preacher John Knox.

But in 2000, some truly lovely and moving elaborations were made to the otherwise Spartan church in the form of embroidered seat cushions for the stalls in the apse.

Commissioned by the Fife, Lothians and Borders branch of the Normandy Veterans Assn., they commemorate the soldiers who died, fighting to liberate Europe during World War II, on D-day.

Fine three-stranded wool thread dyed in a rainbow of colors was used by textile artists from all over the world, in patterns well-known to crewel workers, including Scottish and Gobelin stitchery. The result is radiant, though it’s doubtful that Knox would agree.

– Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Photos: Susan Spano]

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This entry was posted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 3:08 pm by Susan Spano and is filed under Europe, Great Britain. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.