Scotland Tour 2018: Church of the Holy Rude and Celtic Crosses

The Church of the Holy Rude was originally built in the 1130s. The name, Holy Rude, means Holy Cross, as does Holyrood in Edinburgh.

A disastrous fire in 1405 devastated the church. Reconstruction was begun, and by the end of the 1400s, the church reopened its doors.

A second phase of construction from 1507 to 1555 added a choir to the east of the original nave, and the western tower was increased in height. But the Reformation halted what would have been the third phase of construction, leaving the church without its central tower and raised roofline. But it is still a magnificent structure.

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The Church of the Holy Rude can be seen from the walls of Stirling Castle. There is a cemetery between the castle and church, and my eye was drawn to this stairway leading to a very beautiful place.

The cemetery was quite peaceful, and I even encountered a worker quietly sharing his lunch beneath a tall tree with a pair of grackles. One of the aspects of the cemetery which interested me, was the many Celtic Crosses in one corner of the cemetery. Each was different and beautiful--much like the souls of the people whom the crosses commemorate.