St Giles' Cathedral

INTRODUCTION:

        浪漫主义建筑是18世纪下半叶到19世纪下半叶，欧美一些国家在文学艺术中的浪漫主义思潮影响下流行的一种建筑风格。浪漫主义在艺术上强调个性，提倡自然主义，主张用中世纪的艺术风格与学院派的古典主义艺术相抗衡。这种思潮在建筑上表现为追求超尘脱俗的趣味和异国情调。主要有英国议会大厦，爱丁堡圣吉尔斯大教堂。  

        St Giles' Cathedral, more properly termed the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Its distinctive crown steeple is a prominent feature of the city skyline, at about a third of the way down the Royal Mile which runs from the Castle to Holyrood Palace. The church has been one of Edinburgh's religious focal points for approximately 900 years. The present church dates from the late 14th century, though it was extensively restored in the 19th century, and is protected as a category A listed building. Today it is sometimes regarded as the "Mother Church of Presbyterianism". The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Giles, who is the patron saint of Edinburgh, as well as of cripples and lepers, and was a very popular saint in the Middle Ages. It is the Church of Scotland parish church for part of Edinburgh's Old Town. The most recent  Minister (since 1973) of St Giles' was the Very Reverend Dr Gilleasbuig Macmillan; he retired on 30 September 2013. St Giles' was only a cathedral in its formal sense (i.e. the seat of a bishop) for two periods during the 17th century (1635–1638 and 1661–1689), when episcopalianism, backed by the Crown, briefly gained ascendancy within the Kirk (see Bishops' Wars). Inthe mediaeval period, prior to the Reformation, Edinburgh had no cathedral as the royal burgh was part of the Diocese of St Andrews,under the Bishop of St Andrews whose episcopal seat was St Andrew's Cathedral. For most of its post-Reformation history the  Church of Scotland has not had bishops, dioceses, or cathedrals. As such, the use of the term cathedral today carries no practical meaning. The "High Kirk" title is older, being attested well before the building's brief period as a cathedral.