St Giles' Cathedral

The most recognizable feature of St Giles' Cathedral is the stone crown spire that pierces the Edinburgh skyline. Supported by eight flying buttresses, the open shape of this spire is modeled on the royal crown of Scotland. While the cathedral traces its roots back to a church founded in eleven twenty-four, the current structure underwent extensive rebuilding in the fourteenth century. It is known officially as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, serving as a mother church for Presbyterianism.