In the Cowgate, at the heart of Edinburgh's old town, the Magdalen Chapel is a discreet but crucial jewel of the Scottish Reformation. It shelters a unique treasure — the only intact pre-Reformation stained glass in Scotland — and was the scene of the first steps of the reformed Church.
A jewel at the heart of the Reformation
Built from 1541 to 1544, the chapel was, at the hinge of the Reformation, a place of religious ferment. Before 1560, the Catholic regent Mary of Guise (mother of Mary Stuart) had lectures given there. Then, the Reformation triumphing, the chapel hosted General Assemblies of the new Church of Scotland (perhaps the first, in 1560; one attested in 1578) and the sermons of the Dominican John Craig, who had rallied to the Reformation. This small building was thus witness to the religious turning point, Catholic one day, reformed the next.
The last Catholic stained glass
The treasure of the Magdalen Chapel is its south window: it is the only intact pre-Reformation stained glass in Scotland. In a country where Protestant iconoclasm methodically destroyed 'popish' statues, images and windows, this survival is a marvel. The window bears the royal arms of Scotland and those of Mary of Guise — a coloured memory of Catholic Scotland, spared perhaps because the chapel quickly passed under the management of the Incorporation of Hammermen (the smiths), who made it their meeting place. To see: Scotland's only intact pre-Reformation stained glass, the heraldic tomb of Janet Rhynd, Covenanting relics, a carved door panel (1615).
Did you know?
In all Scotland, only one set of pre-Reformation stained glass escaped destruction: that of the Magdalen Chapel. The iconoclastic fury of the Scottish reformers, particularly radical, had made these 'idols of glass' disappear everywhere else. That these four heraldic medallions, bearing the arms of the Catholic queen Mary of Guise, survived at the very heart of Edinburgh — the city of John Knox — is one of the finest ironies of Scottish heritage.
Notes
The Magdalen Chapel lies in the Cowgate, Edinburgh old town; a chapel open to visits (run by a foundation). Hours to check.
Quiz
- What is unique about the Magdalen Chapel?
- Scotland's only intact pre-Reformation stained glass
- The tallest spire in Scotland
- A hoard of jewels
- Which Catholic regent had lectures given there?
- Mary of Guise
- Elizabeth I
- Anne of Denmark
- Which corporation made it their meeting place?
- The Hammermen (smiths)
- The wool merchants
- The goldsmiths