The Martyrs’ Cross in Edinburgh, Scotland
Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church stands a stone's throw away from the western exit of Edinburgh's Waverley train station in Scotland. Though this structural configuration dates to the late 19th century, the congregation has origins dating back to the late 1600s when they split from St. Giles Cathedral over religious differences. Old St. Paul’s Church is also well-known in its community for its memorial chapel, which pays homage to the members of the parish that died in World War I. Contained within the body of the kirk are many religious objects that illustrate the strong bond the church had with the Jacobites and their cause in the mid-1700s. However, there is one item, with a rather macabre history, that is hidden in plain sight. The Martyrs' Cross, or Suffers' Cross, is a metallic emblem that dates back to the 15th or 16th century. It originally was attached to the Knights Templar House, No. 75, in the Grassmarket. This location would have been directly opposite the gallows, one of three sites in the city used for public executions. That makes it pretty likely that this cross would have been the last thing that many condemned prisoners laid eyes on before their death by hanging. The Martyrs' Cross is sequestered in a small room off to the left of the altar, in the memorial chapel off the main body of the church. It is originally thought to have been a crucifix with the body of Christ adhered to it. During the Reformation, many crucifixes were modified to remove any imagery of Christ himself during a time of zealous anti-idolatry fervor.
Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church stands a stone's throw away from the western exit of Edinburgh's Waverley train station in Scotland. Though this structural configuration dates to the late 19th century, the congregation has origins dating back to the late 1600s when they split from St. Giles Cathedral over religious differences. Old St. Paul’s Church is also well-known in its community for its memorial chapel, which pays homage to the members of the parish that died in World War I.
Contained within the body of the kirk are many religious objects that illustrate the strong bond the church had with the Jacobites and their cause in the mid-1700s. However, there is one item, with a rather macabre history, that is hidden in plain sight.
The Martyrs' Cross, or Suffers' Cross, is a metallic emblem that dates back to the 15th or 16th century. It originally was attached to the Knights Templar House, No. 75, in the Grassmarket. This location would have been directly opposite the gallows, one of three sites in the city used for public executions. That makes it pretty likely that this cross would have been the last thing that many condemned prisoners laid eyes on before their death by hanging.
The Martyrs' Cross is sequestered in a small room off to the left of the altar, in the memorial chapel off the main body of the church. It is originally thought to have been a crucifix with the body of Christ adhered to it. During the Reformation, many crucifixes were modified to remove any imagery of Christ himself during a time of zealous anti-idolatry fervor.
