Holy Trinity Church is a
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
in
St Andrews
St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...
,
Fife
Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
. It is a Category A
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.
History
Holy Trinity Church (also known as the Holy Trinity Parish Church or "town kirk") is the most historic church in St Andrews.
[Lamont-Brown ''St Andrews – City by The Northern Sea'' p.171.] The church was initially built on land close to the south-east gable of the cathedral, around 1144 by Bishop Robert Kennedy.
The church was dedicated in 1234 by Bishop
David de Bernham
David de Bernham (died 1253) was Chamberlain of King Alexander II of Scotland and subsequently, Bishop of St Andrews. He was elected to the see in June 1239, and finally consecrated, after some difficulties, in January 1240. He died at Nentho ...
and then moved to a new site on the north side of South Street between 1410 and 1412 by Bishop Wardlaw.
[Pride ''Kingdom of Fife'' pp.124–126.] Towards the end of June 1547, this was the location where
John Knox
John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland.
Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...
first preached in public and to which he returned to give an inflammatory sermon on 4 June 1559 which led to the stripping of both the cathedral and ecclesiastical status.
[Lamont-Brown ''St Andrews – City by The Northern Sea'' p.173.][Lamont-Brown ''Fife in History and Legend'' p.81.] Much of the architecture feature of the church was lost in the re-building by Robert Balfour between 1798 and 1800.
[Fife Regional Council ''Medieval Abbeys and Historic Churches in Fife'' p.46.] The church was later restored to a (more elaborately decorated) approximation of its medieval appearance between 1907 and 1909 by MacGregor Chalmers.
[Cook ''Old St Andrews'' p.14.] Only the north-western tower and spire with parts of the arcade arches were retained.
See also
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List of carillons of the British Isles
Carillons, musical instruments in the Percussion instrument, percussion family with at least 23 cast bells and played with a keyboard, are found throughout the British Isles as a result of the First World War.List of carillons of the British I ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
Church website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Trinity Church Saint Andrews
Saint Andrews
St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settlement ...
St Andrews
Category A listed buildings in Fife
Churches in Fife