The traditional story connected with the foundation and name of this
monastery is well known--viz., that a rood or cross miraculously passed
into the hands of King David I., and thus saved his life when attacked
by a stag in hunting, in commemoration of which he erected an abbey to
the Holy Rood. The abbey was founded by David I., and richly endowed
early in the twelfth century, and building is said to have commenced in
1128. The house was colonised by Canons Regular of the Order of St.
Augustine, brought from St. Andrews. Being so near the capital, the
abbey became a favourite place of sojourn of the kings of Scotland,
especially after the accession of the Stewarts to the throne. Robert
III. and James I. lived in the abbey. James II. was born and resided
there, and was buried in the church. James III. and James IV. stayed
much at Holyrood, and the latter began the erection of a palace attached
to, but distinct from, the monastery. The palace was extended by James
V., and formed the chief scene of many of the incidents in Queen Mary’s
reign.[32]
The abbey church was a structure of great size and of beautiful
architecture. It consisted of the usual divisions, having nave, choir,
and transepts, with aisles and probably a lady chapel to the east, two
western towers, and a tower over the crossing. But of all that splendid
structure there now only remain the ruins of the nave and one western
tower. The abbey and palace were frequently attacked and burnt by the
English, particularly under Hertford in 1544, and the abbey was again
destroyed by Somerset in 1547. At the latter date the monks had left the
abbey, and the invaders stripped the lead off the roofs of the
buildings. These “visitations” seem to have led to the serious injury of
the choir; but the choir and transept do not appear to have been
completely ruined till after 1569. At that date, Adam, Bishop of Orkney
and Commendator of Holyrood, stated to the General Assembly that “the
Abbay Church of Halyrud house hath been these 20 years bygane ruinous,
through decay of two principall pillars, so that none were assured under
it ... he purposed to provide the means that the superfluous ruinous
parts to wit the Queir and Croce Kirk might be disponed to faithfull men
to repair the remanent sufficiently.”[33] The bishop’s proposal was
apparently carried out, and the materials of the choir and transept were
demolished and sold “to provide funds for converting the nave into the
Parish Kirk of the Canongate.”
The two pillars referred to by the bishop as unsafe were probably the
east pillars of the crossing, which are now removed, but the two west
pillars still stand. They form the east end of the existing nave. Sir D.
Wilson believes that, when the choir was taken down, the vault which
contained the remains of the kings and queens of Scotland was built in
the south-east angle of the nave, and their coffins transferred into it.
Holyrood Palace was the principal residence in Scotland of James VI. and
Charles I. The latter took considerable interest in the church, and
wished to restore it as the chapel royal. He had the west end
re-edified, as the style of the architecture of the upper portion and
the inscriptions thereon bear witness.
James VII. of Scotland (while Duke of York) lived for a considerable
time in the palace, and had a wish to restore the church and make it the
place of meeting of the Knights of St. Andrew. But his operations were
disapproved of by the populace, and all the fittings were destroyed by
the mob in 1688. The tombs of the royal family were, at the same time,
desecrated, and the remains scattered over the pavement. After the
middle of the eighteenth century an attempt was made to restore the
nave, and the roof was covered with heavy stone flags. But the materials
employed were too heavy for the old walls, and the new roof fell in
1768, drawing down with it the whole of the vaulting and clerestory. At
the same time, the tombs of the kings were again pillaged, and Captain
Grose describes having seen some of the remains exposed and defiled by
the populace.
The nave (Fig. 482), which now alone survives in a ruinous state,
consists of eight bays, the main piers of which are complete on the
south side, but are only represented by two fragments on the north side.
The vaulting of the south aisle also survives, but that of the north
aisle is gone. The north wall of the aisle, however, still stands, and
the east and west ends of the nave are restored. The north-west tower is
still preserved, but its companion tower, which formerly stood at the
south-west angle, was demolished when the palace was rebuilt in the
seventeenth century. Some remains of the cloister are still observable
on the south side of the nave.
The chief part of the architecture is of the first pointed period; but
at the south-east angle, the doorway (Fig. 483), which led from the
cloister into the nave, is of genuine, though late, Norman architecture.
The doorway had a nook shaft on each side, the divided cushion caps of
which survive. The arch is round, and contains two orders, both
ornamented with varieties of zigzags. These orders are enclosed with a
label, containing a double row of square facets and sinkings. Some
alterations have taken place in the building adjoining the doorway. On
the west side of it runs the wall of the south aisle, the roof of which
rested on a ledge at some height above the doorway. Under this ledge are
the windows of
[Illustration: FIG. 482.--Holyrood Abbey. Plan.]
[Illustration: FIG. 483.--Holyrood Abbey. South-East Doorway.]
the south aisle. Two of these windows, that over the doorway and the one
to the west of it, are circular headed, and have a Norman character in
their nook shafts and cushion caps. These windows are, however,
[Illustration: FIG. 484.--Holyrood Abbey. North Aisle.]
restorations, probably constructed in imitation of Norman windows which
existed there originally. It will be observed that the inner order of
the arch contains two reprises wrought on the stone, which were
evidently the ends of two simple pieces of tracery springing from a
central mullion. This form of design shows that the construction was
undoubtedly of a late period. Besides, the sconsions of these windows
are wrought with an obtuse nook containing a shaft, so as to correspond
with the other first pointed windows of the south aisle. It is not
improbable that the choir was built before the nave, and was of Norman
work. This supposition may account for the Norman work found in the
first bay of the nave, which may have been erected in connection with
the choir and crossing.
[Illustration: FIG. 485.--Holyrood Abbey. Arcade in North Aisle.]
The oldest part of the nave, after the south-east doorway, is the wall
of the north aisle (Fig. 484). The responds opposite the piers are very
bold. Each consists of a central shaft, with sharp edge to the front,
and a round shaft on each side of it. The responds have rounded abaci
and caps all richly carved with foliage, and a moulded band in the
centre. The lower story of the wall contains an arcade of interlacing
arches springing from single shafts, the caps of which have square abaci
and very rich foliage (Fig. 485). The arch mouldings are flat, and
contain a quantity of small nail-head ornament between the rolls. The
windows above the arcade are single lancets--one in each bay (Fig. 486.)
On the exterior the lower part of the wall is
[Illustration: FIG. 486.--Holyrood Abbey. North Doorway and North Side
of Church.]
plain, and each lancet has a pair of nook shafts, with simple cap,
having a square abacus. The arch head is in two orders, both splayed,
the outer order having the splay enriched with a series of plain ball
[Illustration: FIG. 487.--Holyrood Abbey. South Aisle.]
ornaments. In the interior (see Fig. 484) these windows show a plain
splayed ingoing, the inner sconsion being formed into an obtuse nook,
containing a bold shaft, with cap spreading its foliage widely so as to
fill up the obtuse angle. The arch contains bold first pointed
mouldings.
[Illustration: FIG. 488.--Holyrood Abbey. Details of South Aisle:
Inside.]
The south wall of the south aisle (Fig. 487) is designed in a similar
manner to the above, but the details are different and of a rather later
character. The responds, although bold, are different from those of the
north wall, the shafts being all round, and the centre shaft is
separated from the side shafts by a square member, having the angle
chamfered. The caps have the same round abacus and bold foliage as those
of the north side. The lower story contains a wall arcade, having single
pointed arches, with first pointed mouldings. The shafts are free, and
the richly foliaged caps (Fig. 488) have round and square abaci. The
windows over the arcade correspond generally to those in the north wall;
but being above the cloister roof, they are short externally, and the
sill is deeply
[Illustration: FIG. 489.--Holyrood Abbey. South Wall: Exterior.]
sloped on the inside. The windows are all pointed, except those of the
two east bays already mentioned. The obtuse nooks for the shafts on the
sconsions of the pointed windows are repeated in the two round-headed
east windows. The lower part of the exterior of the south wall running
westwards from the Norman doorway (Fig. 489) is arcaded with a series
of large pointed arches, each enclosing five smaller pointed arches, and
having a plain wall space between the large and small arches. The caps
of these arcades are all of early first pointed work. The one shown in
Fig. 490 is of peculiar design, having probably been worked on at some
period. Fig. 491 shows one of the caps of the triple shaft supporting
the springing of the large and small arches. The above large arches
were, doubtless, the wall arches for a groined roof over the cloister
walk; but whether that vault was ever built it is now impossible to say.
The south aisle is the only portion of the edifice which retains its
vaulting (see Fig. 487). This is of a very simple character, consisting
of transverse ribs and diagonal ribs. The vaulting of the north aisle
has apparently been similar.
[Illustration: FIG. 490.--Holyrood Abbey.