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47-891: The Trinity Altarpiece , also known as the Trinity Altar Panels , is a set of four paintings in oil on wood thought to have been commissioned for the Trinity College Kirk in Edinburgh , Scotland, in the late fifteenth century. The panels are now part of the British Royal Collection and are loaned to the Scottish National Gallery . They are now univerally attributed to the Netherlandish artist Hugo van der Goes , with studio assistance, and probably represent

94-479: A common device used to shed rainwater from buildings until the early 18th century. From that time, more and more buildings used drainpipes to carry the water from the guttering roof to the ground and only very few buildings using gargoyles were constructed. This was because some people found them frightening, and sometimes heavy ones fell off, causing damage. In 1724, the London Building Act passed by

141-511: A financial interest in the structure until 1585. For about seventeen years it appears that the church was the church for the hospital until in 1584 it was made the official church serving the north-east quarter of Edinburgh. This lasted until closure. From 1813 to 1833, the minister of Trinity College was the Rev. Walter Tait. In 1833 it was reported that he "had given countenance to certain extraordinary interruptions of public worship in his church on

188-427: A grotesque shape. When not constructed as a waterspout and only serving an ornamental or artistic function, the technical term for such a sculpture is a grotesque , chimera, or boss . There are also regional variations, such as the hunky punk . Just as with bosses and chimeras , gargoyles are said to protect what they guard, such as a church, from any evil or harmful spirits. A French legend that sprang up around

235-550: A hotel. In the 1980s Trinity Apse housed the Edinburgh Brass Rubbing Centre , under the auspices of the City of Edinburgh Council . The rebuilt Apse, together with carved stone fragments and the boundary wall, is registered as a Category A listed building . Statuary and stone ornament from the church stand in the gardens of Craigcrook Castle in west Edinburgh (but it is unclear if these were moved at

282-858: A house in Bruges. Edward's older brother, Alexander Bonkil, was a member of the Bruges Confraternity of the Holy Snow. He may have commissioned the altarpiece to strengthen ties of the Trinity Collegiate Church with Margaret of Denmark, and the imagery used may express her interests and personal iconography. Trinity College Kirk Trinity College Kirk was a royal collegiate church in Edinburgh , Scotland. The kirk and its adjacent almshouse , Trinity Hospital , were founded in 1460 by Mary of Guelders in memory of her husband, King James II who had been killed at

329-484: A mason Robert Dennis that Dennis would work to complete the building for his lifetime. Dingwall wished to complete the church conforming to the choir. To help finance the building, James V wrote to the Pope Clement VII asking if Dingwall could grant indulgences to visitors to the church and college on the feast of Holy Trinity and Octave who made contributions to the work. After Dingwall's death in 1533,

376-462: A yard on Calton Hill, by 1872, when a replacement church was built on the newly formed Jeffrey Street, only a third were left which were used to construct a version of the choir and apse which was the hall of the new church. The church was built of local sandstone from a quarry which was discovered only 500m to the west at the site of the Scott Monument on Princes Street . It was created in

423-419: Is a quadruped with a serpent's head; there a fish with a quadruped's head; then again an animal: half horse, half goat... Surely, if we do not blush for such absurdities, we should at least regret what we have spent on them. While the theory that gargoyles were spiritual devices made to ward off devilish evil was very widely known and accepted, other schools of thoughts have developed over time. For example, in

470-527: Is presumed that drawings were made in Scotland and sent to the artist. The painting in the church was described as a "burd" ("board") on 17 May 1516 when John Stewart, Duke of Albany made an offering at the high altar on Trinity Sunday . The work represents a rare example of religious art in Scotland to have survived the iconoclasm of the Scottish Reformation in 1560; the central panel

517-659: The Disruption of 1843 , only about eighty members, were allocated the Calton Convening Rooms on Waterloo Place as a temporary place of worship. Around 1857 the Town Council moved them to John Knox's Free Church at the Netherbow (close to the eventually built replacement church) and in 1861 moved them to a corner of the internally divided St Giles Cathedral . The chosen site for the replacement church

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564-504: The Holy Trinity , was held as a prebend of the chancellor of St Andrews . In 1459/60 the chancellorship was vacant allowing the dowager queen to supplicate Pope Pius II for the annexation of Soutra to her Trinity College foundation – the sanctioning bull was published on 23 October 1460. Queen Mary of Gueldres (widow of James II) issued a Royal charter on 25 March 1462 detailing the constitution for Trinity College in which

611-487: The Parliament of Great Britain made the use of downpipes compulsory in all new construction. There are divided ideas as to the purpose of adding gargoyles to religious structures. Some state that gargoyles were meant to illustrate evil and sin, while others have posited that grotesques in architecture were apotropaic devices. In the 12th century, before the use of gargoyles as rain spouts, St. Bernard of Clairvaux

658-534: The provost was to hold Soutra church as a prebend but had to maintain three bedesmen in the Soutra hospital. John Halkerston was made Master of Works. In August 1463 Pope Pius II declared by Papal bull that religious visitors to the church during the feast of the Holy Trinity on 10 July and the following eight days, over the next five years, would be granted a plenary indulgence, if they contributed to

705-583: The siege of Roxburgh Castle that year. Queen Mary was interred in the church, until her coffin was moved to Holyrood Abbey in 1848. The original church design was never completed. Only the apse , choir (with aisles ) and transepts were completed. The church was located in the valley between the Old Town and Calton Hill , but was systematically dismantled in 1848 due to the construction of Waverley Station on its site. Although its stones were numbered in anticipation of rebuilding and were stored in

752-578: The 12th Century, when gargoyles appeared in Europe, the Roman Catholic Church was growing stronger and converting many new people. Most of the population at this time was illiterate, so images were very important to convey ideas. Many early gargoyles depicted some version of a dragon, especially in France. In addition to serving as spouts for water, the gaping mouths of these gargoyles evoked

799-477: The Archbishops of Rouen were granted the right to set a prisoner free on the day that the reliquary of the saint was carried in procession (see details at Rouen ). The term gargoyle is most often applied to medieval work, but throughout all ages, some means of water diversion, when not conveyed in gutters, was adopted. In ancient Egyptian architecture, gargoyles showed little variation, typically in

846-655: The Blackfriars kirkyard to the masons Thomas Jackson and Murdoch Walker . In April 1568 the council sent four men, including Nicol Uddert , to find charitable donations for the hospital. The endowed income of the altar of Saint James in Saint Giles' Kirk was promised to the Hospital in 1568. This included the rents of houses at the Overbow and Castlehill. The provosts (ending with Robert Pont ) continued to have

893-677: The Monday immediately after the communion by a person pretending to speak in the spirit" . That person was said to be 'the apostle' Thomas Carlyle . Tait was deposed in that year and went on to become the pastor of the Catholic Apostolic Church in Edinburgh, until his death in 1841. In 1844 the North British Railway received its Act of Parliament giving it the power of compulsory purchase over property in

940-557: The area of its proposed railway station. This led to the demolition of the Trinity College Kirk and its Hospital, the nearby Lady Glenorchy's Church and the Orphan Hospital of Edinburgh . The fairly unique plan for Trinity College Kirk required that the stones be numbered prior to demolition and then stored to await a suitable site for rebuilding. The North British Railway Company paid £18000 in compensation to

987-513: The careful supervision of the Edinburgh architect David Bryce , despite a formal protest from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland , to allow for the construction of Waverley Station . David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson photographed the kirk before its demise. As most of the congregation left, joining the Free Church, those remaining in the established Church of Scotland following

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1034-471: The case of gargoyles unattributable to any one or two animals, some say that they were simply the product of pagan mythology passed down through generations in the medium of fireside tales. Akin to the leading catholic theory but slightly different, some suggest that gargoyles were meant not to intimidate evil spirits or demons, but humans. It is said that at the gateway of the city of Amiens, France, two gargoyles stood guard, and anyone with bad intentions toward

1081-443: The city and its people would be spewed with acid before being able to enter. On the contrary, the king of Amiens would be showered with coins with every return. Other gargoyles were meant to strike fear into the heart of the pious, specifically those that were anthropomorphized. Gargoyles that were mostly human but had animalistic attributes, like the harpy (half human half bird) or cynocephali (dog-headed human) were meant to represent

1128-422: The cosmopolitan Scottish late Gothic style. As was the taste of the time, water was discharged from the roof via gargoyles . Unusually it is said the church had several monkeys within its decorations. The foundation of the college was for a provost, eight prebendaries and two clerks each being assigned particular benefices and land for their support. Income was derived from several sources in Scotland, either by

1175-611: The endowment of Mary of Gueldres (from her own allotted incomes), or added later. Incomes were received from Uthrogal, a leper colony at Monimail in Fife, and the parish church of Easter Wemyss in Fife. In 1502 a Dean and Sub-Dean were appointed, their stipends paid from the parish of Dunnottar in Kincardineshire . In 1529 incomes were added from the parishes of Soutra , Fala , Lampetlaw, Kirkurd , Ormiston and Gogar . The church and hospital of Soutra Aisle dedicated to

1222-509: The fearsome destructiveness of these legendary beasts, reminding the laity of the need for the church's protection. Human qualities were sometimes ascribed to specific animals—that is, the animals were anthropomorphized . This was especially common for pagans, and using these ideas helped conversion to Catholicism. Humans were often depicted in bawdy positions, some leaning over the ledge they're perched on to vomit or defecate off of. The orifice that rainwater would come out of would imply that it

1269-546: The floor of the original kirk: 55°57′10″N 3°11′10″W  /  55.95278°N 3.18611°W  / 55.95278; -3.18611 Gargoyle The term originates from the French gargouille, which in English is likely to mean "throat" or is otherwise known as the "gullet"; cf. Latin gurgulio, gula, gargula ("gullet"or "throat") and similar words derived from the root gar, "to swallow", which represented

1316-620: The form of a lion's head. Similar lion-mouthed water spouts were also seen on Greek temples , carved or modelled in the marble or terracotta cymatium of the cornice . An excellent example of this are the 39 remaining lion-headed water spouts on the Temple of Zeus . Originally, it had 102 gargoyles or spouts, but due to the heavy weight (they were crafted from marble), many snapped off and had to be replaced. Many medieval cathedrals included gargoyles and chimeras. According to French architect and author Eugène Viollet-le-Duc , himself one of

1363-765: The fund for completion of the building according to their financial ability. The money was to be put in a locked box with two keys kept by the Provost and the Papal Collector for Scotland. A third of the receipts were to be given to the Catholic church for its general work. The church was famed for its triptych altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes completed in 1479, now displayed in the National Gallery of Scotland . The four surviving panels depict James III , King of Scots, flanked by St. Andrew and his son,

1410-582: The future James IV , and his wife, Margaret of Denmark . The donor, the first Provost of the Trinity foundation, Edward Bonkil, and his coat of arms also feature. Early records of the construction of the church are lost. In 1463 a steward of Mary of Gueldres, Henry Kinghorn paid the master of works John Halkerston for one account of his building work at Trinity Kirk. On 8 April 1531 the Provost Master John Dingwall contracted with

1457-685: The great producers of gargoyles in the 19th century, the earliest known medieval gargoyles appear on Laon Cathedral (c. 1200–1220). One of the more famous examples is the gargoyles of Notre-Dame de Paris . Although most have grotesque features, the term gargoyle has come to include all types of images. Some gargoyles were depicted as monks, or combinations of real animals and people, many of which were humorous. Unusual animal mixtures, or chimeras, did not act as rainspouts and are more properly called grotesques. They serve as ornamentation but are now popularly called gargoyles. Both ornamented and unornamented waterspouts projecting from roofs at parapet level were

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1504-496: The gurgling sound of water (e.g., Portuguese and Spanish garganta, "throat"; gárgola, "gargoyle"). It is also connected to the French verb gargariser, which shares a Latin root with the verb "gargle" and is likely imitative in origin. The Italian word for gargoyle is doccione or gronda sporgente, an architecturally precise phrase which means "protruding gutter". Italian also uses gargolla or garguglia , when it has

1551-471: The inner and outer panels of the wings of a triptych . The presumed central panel is lost; probably it contained a Virgin and Child . Van der Goes died in 1482, and the prince presumed to be the future James IV of Scotland was born in 1473; he appears to be at least five years old. A second son born in 1478 is not shown. As with the royal portraits in the Hours of James IV of Scotland a few years later, it

1598-560: The masons pursued his legacy left for completing the work. Only the apse, choir and transepts were finished. A nearby house, demolished in 1642, was called "Dingwall Castle" probably after the Provost Master. After the Scottish Reformation in 1560 the church as a building passed from religious control to the Crown. Apparently the church was unused until November 1567 when the whole of the property attaching to Trinity Kirk and Hospital

1645-492: The name of St. Romanus ( French : Romain ; fl. c.  631–641 AD ), the former chancellor of the Merovingian king Chlothar II who was made bishop of Rouen , relates how he delivered the country around Rouen from a monster called Gargouille or Goji . La Gargouille is said to have been the typical dragon with bat-like wings, a long neck, and the ability to breathe fire from its mouth. Multiple versions of

1692-660: The objective of the viewer to pin one purpose to the entirety of gargoyles. According to Lester Burbank Bridaham, writing in Gargoyles, Chimeres and the Grotesque in French Gothic Sculpture , "There is much symbolism in the sculpture of the Gothic period; but we must be wary of reading in too much meaning." The ancient Egyptians , Greeks , Etruscans , and Romans all used animal-shaped waterspouts. During

1739-434: The owner, Edinburgh Town Council. The council proved obstructive in releasing the funds for a new church, "hoping that the congregation would disappear" i.e. be absorbed into other churches. However, A House of Lords decision reversed a Court of Session ruling that all £18000 must be spent on the church, and limited the cost of the rebuild to £7000. The gothic kirk, and its associated hospital, were demolished in 1848 under

1786-699: The point of demolition or "salvaged" during the period of being dismantled). Source: Watt & Murray Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae Note: One of the founding members of the College of Justice , John Dingwall, was Provost of Trinity College; and several Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland came from the Trinity College Kirk: Not only was the church large enough to need two ministers but (more unusually)

1833-492: The second charge ministers often obtained fame in their own right including at least one rising to be Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland . This is unique to Trinity College Church. This second charge was operational from 1597 to 1782, when the building of St Andrew's Church in the New Town took a large section of the congregation, no longer necessitating second services. Notable second charges were: In

1880-451: The story are given, either that St. Romanus subdued the creature with a crucifix, or he captured the creature with the help of the only volunteer, a condemned man. In each, the monster is led back to Rouen and burned, but its head and neck would not burn due to being tempered by its own fire breath. The head was then mounted on the walls of the newly built church to scare off evil spirits, and used for protection. In commemoration of St. Romain,

1927-469: The torturous fate of sinners. Some gargoyles were purely decoration, like the monkey in the courtyard of the palace of Jacques Coeur in Bourges, France. This stylistic choice was supposedly a nod to Cours exotic and adventurous lifestyle, as monkeys are a species not native to france. It is most likely that gargoyles meant all of these things depending on where and when they were made, and it shouldn't be

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1974-456: Was famous for speaking out against gargoyles carved on the walls of his monastery's cloister: What are these fantastic monsters doing in the cloisters before the eyes of the brothers as they read? What is the meaning of these unclean monkeys, these strange, savage lions and monsters? To what purpose are here placed these creatures, half beast, half man or these spotted tigers? I see several bodies with one head and several heads with one body. Here

2021-536: Was on the newly created Jeffrey Street which had been developed in terms of the City Improvement Schemes. The church was the first building on the street. The church opened for worship to the long-displaced congregation in October 1877 and held up to 900 people. The medieval font from the original church was repositioned in the church just before reopening. The new church fronting Jeffrey Street

2068-400: Was passed by Regent Moray to the Provost of Edinburgh, Simon Preston of Craigmillar who then passed it to the community of Edinburgh for the purposes of a hospital for the poor and infirm. Building materials for alterations were to be brought from the demolished Blackfriars monastery to the south. The master of work for building the new hospital, Adam Fullarton, sold stones, lime, and sand in

2115-710: Was perhaps destroyed at this point. The painting was taken to England at the Union of the Crowns and in 1617 is recorded as in the collection of Anne of Denmark , wife of James VI and I , at Oatlands . In 1618 she gave it to her son Prince Charles , who presented the painting to the Duke of Buckingham . The four panels depict the following subjects: Edward Bonkil was a member of a wealthy Edinburgh merchant family with commercial connections in Bruges . His father, Robert Bonkil, owned

2162-583: Was vomit or fecal matter. Some animals (such as the rhinoceros and the hippopotamus ) were unknown in western Europe during the Middle Ages, so gargoyles of these species (such as the ones at Laon Cathedral ) are modern gargoyles and therefore did not have symbolic meaning in Medieval times. The Lion was the most prominent figure for animal gargoyles, likely due to their frequent appearances in other medieval art and even art in antiquity. Lions became

2209-600: Was wholly new and was designed by John Lessels . The remaining salvaged stones (about one third) from the original College Church were used to construct a version of the original choir and apse (called the Trinity Apse ) attached to the rear of the new church and served as the hall of the church. In the 1960s, Lessels' church was demolished for an office development leaving the Trinity Apse in isolation on Chalmers Close. The office development has since been converted to

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