Library Item

St Anthony's Chapel, Holyrood Park

2007

St Anthony's Chapel is perched above St Margaret's Loch on the north side of Arthur's Seat. The building dates from the mid 15th Century. The Chapel's origins are unclear. It is thought to have connections with the Knights Hospitallers of St Anthony in Leith.

Holyrood Park, otherwise known as Queen's Park, lies to the south east of Holyrood Abbey and Palace. Originally the sanctuary of Holyrood Abbey it later came under royal control and was enclosed by James V in the 1540s. Its dramatic landscape is the product of a combination of volcanic activity approximately 354 million years ago and the movement of glaciers between 1 million and 10,000 years ago. It incorporates several notable features including Arthur's Seat, Salisbury Crags and the remains of the medieval St Anthony's Chapel. The park also includes Duddingston, St Margaret's and Dunsapie Lochs, the latter two having been created in 1856 as part of Prince Albert's plans to beautify the park. Today the 650 acre park is a popular site for tourists and the city's walkers, runners and cyclists.