The Church of the Holy Rude is the second oldest building in Stirling after the castle. Founded in 1129 during the reign of David I (1124 - 1153) as the parish church of Stirling.
Robert II, during his reign (1371-1390), founded an altar to the Holy Rude and thereafter the Church of Stirling became known as the Parish Church of The Holy Rude of the Burgh of Stirling. "Holy Rude" means Holy Cross, giving it the same origin as Holyrood in Edinburgh. David I's church was destroyed with much of Stirling by a catastrophic fire in March 1405. Shortly afterwards a grant was made by the Lord Chamberlain of Scotland to have a new church built. The Nave, South Aisle with rounded Scots pillars, Gothic arches and original oak-timbered roof and the Tower were completed about 1414.
Tradition says that King James IV may have helped masons build the later eastern end during the early 16th century. In 1567 the infant King James VI was crowned here, by which time the church was a reformed place of worship. Bullet marks on the tower may date from a siege of Stirling Castle by Cromwell's troops in 1651.
Because of its close links with the castle, the church always had the support and patronage of the Stuart kings, especially in the 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries, and is the only church in the United Kingdom other than Westminster Abbey to have held a coronation and still be a living church today
