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38-652: The Tron Kirk is a former principal parish church in Edinburgh , Scotland. It is a well-known landmark on the Royal Mile . It was built in the 17th century and closed as a church in 1952. Having stood empty for over fifty years, it was used as a tourist information centre for several years in the mid 2000s and, more recently, was the site of the Edinburgh World Heritage Exhibition and John Kay’s book and gift shop. The name comes from

76-680: A Provost , only the four main cities ( Edinburgh , Glasgow , Aberdeen and Dundee ) have a Lord Provost . In Edinburgh this position dates from 1667, when Charles II elevated the Provost to the status of Lord Provost, with the same rank and precedence as the Lord Mayor of London . The title of Lord Provost is enshrined in the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 . Prior to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

114-810: A Festival of the Extraordinary planned to include live music, film screenings and, amongst other things, a mixology masterclass. The Tron is also used as a venue during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe , when it has been operated by Just The Tonic and Freestival as a music, comedy and cabaret venue and cafe. Between 2018 and early 2020, the Tron Kirk hosted an exhibition which showcased the Edinburgh Old and New Towns UNESCO World Heritage Site , as well as Scotland’s five other World Heritage Sites. The exhibition aimed to capture

152-399: A diocese, there can also be overlapping parishes for Catholics belonging to a particular rite, language, nationality, or community. Each parish has its own central church called the parish church, where religious services take place. The parish church is the center of most Catholics' spiritual life since it is there that they receive the sacraments . On Sundays and perhaps also daily, Mass

190-595: A fellow student reported that he had blasphemed against God outside the Tron Kirk. Aikenhead was prosecuted for saying "I wish I were in that place Ezra calls hell so I could warm myself" as he walked by the kirk on his way back from a night of drinking with some classmates. The baptisms and marriages of many Edinburgh luminaries took place in the Tron, one being the marriage of the famous jurist John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall on 21 January 1669, to Janet (1652–1686), daughter of Sir Andrew Ramsay, Lord Abbotshall , 1st Baronet, and

228-462: A geographically extensive rural parish) or mission church . Often the parish church will be the only one to have a full-time minister , who will also serve any smaller churches within the parish. (For example, St. Peter's Church in St. George's Parish, Bermuda, is located on St. George's Island ; hence, a chapel-of-ease, named simply Chapel-of-Ease , was erected on neighbouring St. David's Island so that

266-876: A meeting place for Edinburgh merchants and known as the Edinburgh Royal Exchange. The Lord Provost takes part in a number of ceremonies and traditions, including The Edinburgh Ceremony of the Keys , the Kirking of the Deacons, The Riding of the Marches and the Edinburgh Hogmanay . The Lord Provost also coordinates Armed Forces Day parades with both the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and The Royal Regiment of Scotland . Whilst

304-534: A new church in the Moredun area of the city. The church was subsequently left to decay, and the interiors were eventually gutted. In 1974 archaeological excavations took place under the church which revealed foundations of 16th-century buildings from a long-vanished close, Marlins Wynd , named after a stonemason Walter Merlioun who lived there in 1500. Traditionally the Tron was a place of gathering to celebrate New Year, mainly because of its chiming clock, high on

342-460: Is consecrated . If there is no parish church, the bishop licenses another building for worship, and may designate it as a parish centre of worship . This building is not consecrated, but is dedicated, and for most legal purposes it is deemed to be a parish church. In areas of increasing secularisation or shifts in religious belief, centres of worship are becoming more common, and many larger churches have been sold due to their upkeep costs. Instead

380-460: Is celebrated by a priest resident in the parish. Confession is made available and perhaps Vespers in the larger or more progressive parishes. There are also laity-led activities and social events in accordance with local culture and circumstances. Roman Catholics are not obliged to worship only at the parish church to which they belong, but they may for convenience or taste, attend services at any Roman Catholic church. However, their parish church

418-496: Is concerned, there is also a system of civil parishes , which represent the smallest tier of administrative units. However since the 19th century these have not shared the same boundaries, or often the same names. (In other territories arrangements may differ, e.g. in Bermuda civil and church parishes still share the same boundaries, see Anglican Church of Bermuda ). Most ecclesiastical parishes have an Anglican parish church , which

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456-634: Is elected by and is the convener of the City of Edinburgh Council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the Lord-Lieutenant of Edinburgh and honorarily the Admiral of the Firth of Forth . It is the equivalent in many ways to the institution of Mayor that exists in many other countries. While some of Scotland's local authorities elect

494-399: Is the one, where members of the parish must go to, for baptisms and weddings , unless they are permitted by the parish priest (US ' pastor ') for celebrating those sacraments elsewhere. One sign of that is the parish church being the only one to have a baptismal font . Some larger parishes or parishes that have been combined under one parish priest, may have two or more such churches, or

532-589: The College of Justice , citizens of Edinburgh Old Town , Principals and Professors of the University. A full list of seat-holders has been preserved for 1650, the year of the battle of Dunbar , and for 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie was in Edinburgh. The church and congregation were of a scale which required a "second charge" for additional services: The second charge at Tron was abolished in 1860 due to

570-1302: The Constitution of Massachusetts . Toward the end of the 20th century, a new resurgence in interest in "parish" churches emerged across the United States. This has given rise to efforts like the Slow Church Movement and The Parish Collective which focus heavily on localized involvement across work, home, and church life. Lord Provost of Edinburgh Charles III William , Duke of Rothesay Swinney government The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP Kate Forbes MSP Sixth session Alison Johnstone MSP Angela Constance MSP Dorothy Bain KC The Rt Hon Lord Carloway KC PC United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections Local elections Referendums Starmer ministry The Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP The Rt Hon Ian Murray MP The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh

608-514: The Ministry of Transport after the Edinburgh corporation missed out on acquiring Scotland’s first number plate, S1 at the turn of the 20th century. A number of other licence plates are owned by the council for other official vehicles, including S10 and SS10. In 2012 it was proposed that the licence plates could be sold to help raise funds for the city, however this plan does not appear to have gone ahead. The High Constables of Edinburgh serve as

646-788: The 1973 Act changed the governance of the City, the Lord Provost retains a relationship with the Merchants Company and Incorporated Trades. The High Constables continue to serve as the Lord Provost's bodyguards. The Lord Provost is also by virtue of their office the Lord High Admiral of the Firth of Forth. The Lord Provost chairs meetings of Edinburgh City Council at the Edinburgh City Chambers , originally opened in 1760 by Lord Provost George Drummond as

684-572: The Annuity Tax Act. The memoirist Elisabeth West worshipped here when William Erskine was the minister and he died in May 1692. Erskine's replacement was George Meldrum and he advised her to keep a record and her diary is an insight into the Tron's history. In 1697, Thomas Aikenhead , an 18-year-old student, became the last person in Scotland to be executed for the crime of blasphemy after

722-763: The City of Edinburgh was run by a single-tier body called the Edinburgh Corporation , of which the Lord Provost was chair. Akin to the Corporation of the City of London , the body included council representatives from the Incorporated Trades of Edinburgh and the Merchant Company of Edinburgh . The corporations security was provided by the High Constables of Edinburgh , who also serve as the Provost's bodyguard. Although

760-584: The Lord Provost technically has no official residence, Lauriston Castle - a property bequeathed to the Edinburgh Corporation and now under the ownership of Edinburgh City Council - has been used to host the Lord Provost's annual Garden Party. It was suggested in 2013 that Lauriston Castle be renovated and turned into an official residence for the Lord Provost, however the cost at the time was deemed too prohibitive. Lord Provosts are entitled to two ceremonial Baillie's Lamps outside their home in

798-548: The Lord Provost's ceremonial bodyguard and form the Lord Provost's Platoon at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo . The Lord Provost also has a team of six bailies to support their work, appointed by Edinburgh City Council . Whenever the monarch is in residence in Edinburgh, the Lord Provost is called upon to undertake the Ceremony of the Keys (Edinburgh) . The Lord Provost has a reserved pew at Kirk of

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836-628: The Scottish Textiles Showcase. In May 2021, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) announced plans to restore the building and give it "a new and meaningful lease of life". The SHBT is to conduct a feasibility study. Once funding has been secured, the SHBT will be granted a 125-year lease on the building. In June 2022, the SHBT announced that, from 1 July 2022,

874-751: The Tron in 1705, recorded his impression in his diary:—"The Nobility generally resort to the Tron Church, which is the principally (sic) and the Lord High Commissioner has a Throne erected in it, in a very spatious Gallery, on his right hand sits the Lord Chancellor , and on his left the Lord Provost of Edenborough ." There were special grants of pews made by the Edinburgh Town Council to noblemen, Senators of

912-399: The area before the construction of the church in the 1630s. The results evidenced that the area was occupied by tenements before the church was built. It appears that they were built during the 15th and 16th centuries and wiped out all traces of earlier medieval settlements. Documentary research undertaken at the same time was able to provide a picture of the occupants of the buildings back to

950-545: The building was reduced when both side aisles were removed in 1785 to accommodate the South Bridge and Blair Street leading to Hunter Square. In 1828 a new spire (designed by R & R Dickson ) was constructed to replace the original, destroyed in the Great Edinburgh Fire of November 1824. The Tron closed as a church in 1952 and was acquired by the City of Edinburgh Council , the congregation moving to

988-436: The building would be used on a short-term basis as a retail outlet by a social enterprise , Scottish Design Exchange. 55°57′00″N 3°11′16″W  /  55.95000°N 3.18778°W  / 55.95000; -3.18778 Parish church Each diocese (administrative unit, headed by a bishop) is divided into parishes. Normally, a parish consists of all Catholics living within its geographically defined area. Within

1026-463: The church may use community centres or the facilities of a local church of another denomination. While villages and small towns may have a single parish church, larger towns may have a parish church and other smaller churches in various districts. These other churches do not have the legal or religious status of a parish church, and may be described by a variety of terms, such as chapel of ease (this term more often refers to an additional church in

1064-408: The city (few chose this to be done). These are green and gold street lamps. These lamps remain in place for the duration of the Lord Provost's term in office. When they demit the office one was removed, while the other remains for the duration of the Lord Provost's life or occupancy of said building. The Lord Provost's official car bears the licence plate S0. This licence plate was issued specially by

1102-529: The essence of the World Heritage Site in Edinburgh through the voices and opinions of local people. The story was told in a series of videos, quotes, and specially commissioned portraits from the Scottish photographer Alicia Bruce . In Summer 2019, two retail outlets opened within the exhibition: John Kay's Shop, a gift shop specialising in Scottish gifts and books, historic prints and maps; and

1140-418: The first Lord Provost of Edinburgh , and a Senator of the College of Justice (d.1688). On 25 April 1694 Helen (d. 9 January 1714), daughter of George Ogilvy, 2nd Lord Banff (d.1668) by his spouse Agnes, daughter of Alexander 1st Lord Falconer , of Halkerstoun, married Sir Robert Lauder of Beilmouth in the Tron. Rev John Drysdale , who married Mary Adam, daughter of the famous architect William Adam ,

1178-481: The island's residents need not cross St. George's Harbour .) In cities without an Anglican cathedral , the parish church may have administrative functions similar to that of a cathedral. However, the diocese will still have a cathedral. The Church of Scotland , the established Presbyterian church also uses a system of parish churches, covering the whole of Scotland . In Massachusetts , towns elected publicly funded parish churches from 1780 until 1834, under

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1216-436: The late 15th century. The church was built over: The church floor was removed in 1974 to allow the excavation of the entire floor area. This was retained as a piece of publicly visible urban archaeology until the building was refloored in 2004. The public could view the remnants of the basements, the paved closes, and drainage channels in a Pompeii style, viewing from a walkway around the inner perimeter. The foundation stone

1254-510: The parish may be responsible for chapels (or chapels of ease) located at some distance from the mother church for the convenience of distant parishioners. In England and many British Overseas Territories as well as former British territories, the Church of England parish church is the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches. Parishes cover almost the whole area of England. In addition to ecclesiastic parishes , with which this article

1292-534: The spire, and visible (and audible) over a wide area. The Tron's position as the traditional focus of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations has been greatly diminished in recent years, due to the expansion of the City Council's organised Hogmanay Street Party in the city centre. However, it was announced in November 2012 that this historic venue would re-stake its claim to the city's hogmanay celebrations, with

1330-611: The weighing beam ( tron in Scots ), serving the public market on the Royal Mile , which stood outside until around 1800. It is the only Scottish church where five consecutive ministers each served at least once as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (eight if including second charge ministers). Archaeological investigations, including excavations and 3D surveys, in 1974, 1983 and 2006 shed light on

1368-461: Was a Minister of the Tron Kirk from 1766 to 1788 and was also twice Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland , though now he is chiefly remembered for his friendship with Adam Smith , the economist. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland met in the Tron from 1830 to 1840—the period of the "Ten Years' Conflict". The Tron, as it is commonly called, was ordered to be built by King Charles I when he decided that St Giles '

1406-723: Was laid on 4 March 1637. The church was formally opened and dedicated to Christ by the citizens of Edinburgh in 1641, and known as "Christ's Kirk at the Tron ". It was built for the South-East parish , one of the four parishes of Edinburgh after the Scottish Reformation of 1560. Prior to the erection of this new church, parishioners of the North-West parish worshipped in St. Giles' Cathedral . An English traveller, visiting

1444-405: Was to become the cathedral for the new see of Edinburgh. The land was purchased by the parish from Dr. William Scott, MD, for £1000 Scots . It was erected between 1636 and 1647 to a design by John Mylne , Royal master mason. The design mixed Palladian and Gothic elements and was inspired by contemporary Dutch architecture. The full Chamberlain's Accounts for this project are extant. The width of

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