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The Reformed Church

Discover how new ideas and forms of worship affected religious life in Scotland.

In 1560 Scotland broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and adopted Protestantism. The Reformation had a lasting impact on all aspects of life in Scotland. The form and language of church services were changed. The Bible and the new service books were in English and Scots rather than Latin, and people were encouraged to read them.

Reformation and Renaissance

One of the first things you will notice in this gallery is a series of vividly painted wooden panels, the Dean panels. These are a reminder that the Reformation was part of the new thinking that produced the colour and vitality of the Renaissance.

Communion and the sermon

Key aspects of the new forms of worship were communion and the centrality of the sermon. Now, the whole congregation shared in taking the bread and wine of the communion service, and communion cups and plates had to be large enough for general use. There are many examples of the new communion silver which illustrate this.

King and Covenant

The Reformation was only the beginning of a long troubled period which saw fierce religious and political controversy. The second part of this gallery, King and Covenant, looks at the civil and religious wars of the Covenanters who resisted attempts to make the Scottish church conform with the English.

Things to see

Here you'll find the National Covenant itself, written on vellum and signed by members of the Scottish Privy Council in1638. This historic document called all Scots to band together in opposition to religious and political policies introduced by Charles II. It was signed at Greyfriar's Kirk, which you can see from the windows in the gallery. Look up to see original and replica Covenanters' flags hanging above you.

One of the most fascinating objects in the King and Covenant gallery is the mask and wig worn by  Alexander Peden, a covenanting minister from Ayrshire. Peden was an outlaw who preached illegally against the changes imposed by Charles II. He spent his life on the run, but died a free man.