John Knox preached in Holy Trinity

The St Andrews Church of the Holy Trinity dates back to 1144, even more venerable than the cathedral which was not started until 1158, making the town the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland for the next four centuries.

Holy Trinity moved to its present site in South Street in 1410, the same year the university was granted its papal bull.

It has been built on over the centuries, although much of the original still remains, including the bell tower.

The pulpit where John Knox, a St

Andrews graduate, first preached the Reformation is now in the university’s St Salvator’s church, but it originally stood in the Holy Trinity.

Indeed, it was from the Holy Trinity that Knox preached his incendiary call to destroy the cathedral and thus dislodge Roman Catholicism as Scotland’s primary religion. Holy Trinity was literally the cradle of the Reformation and has been a place of worship in its present site for the last six centuries.

However, in recent times falling numbers of worshippers have taken their toll.

As “toun kirk” it seats some 700 and occupies a prominent position in the centre of the town, but the congregation has slumped to around 400 – barely 100 of whom regularly attend worship.

Recently, however, it has been going through something of a revival, with an enthusiastic younger members’ service preceding the main Sunday worship.

Additionally, it is understood a fairly large deficit has now been wiped out.

The church organ, arguably one of the finest in Scotland, was recently refurbished at a cost of some £50,000 by public subscription.

John Knox.