St Catherine's Argyle Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Catherine's Argyle |
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Church of Scotland |
| Region | Scotland |
| Status | extant |
| Location | |
| Location | The Grange, Edinburgh |
| Municipality | Edinburgh |
| Website | |
| St Catherine's Argyle Church, Edinburgh | |
St. Catherine's Argyle, often called St. Cath's, is a church in Edinburgh, Scotland. It belongs to the Church of Scotland, which is the national church of Scotland. The church is located in an area of Edinburgh called Grange.
The first minister of this church was a Scottish church leader and poet named Horatius Bonar.
How the Church Was Formed
The current St. Catherine's Argyle church community came together in 1968. This happened when two local churches decided to join forces. These churches were St. Catherine's in the Grange and Argyle Place United Presbyterian Church.
St. Catherine's in the Grange started way back in 1861. It was first known as Chalmers Memorial Free Church. Argyle Place United Presbyterian Church began a bit later, in April 1877.
The Church Building
The building used today by St. Catherine's Argyle was originally built for Chalmers Memorial Church. It first opened its doors on December 6, 1866. The church is made of grey stone and has several pink granite pillars.
There were plans to build a tall steeple on the east side of the building. However, this steeple was never finished. The inside of the church has been updated many times over the years.
Modern Changes and a Fire
A big change happened in the late 1960s when St. Catherine's and Argyle Place churches joined. At first, they planned to use the current St. Catherine's building for church halls. The Argyle Place church was meant to be the main place for worship.
But a big fire badly damaged the Argyle Place Church building. Because of this, the St. Catherine's building became the main church. It is still a very busy place today, used for worship and many community events.
Church Leaders
In April 2008, Reverend Victor Laidlaw retired. He had been the minister for 33 years, serving the church and its community.
The current minister of St. Catherine's Argyle is Reverend Stuart Irvin.
