You’re standing in front of the official church of the Palace of Holyrood, where members of the royal family have long worshipped, and still do today whenever they’re staying at the palace. This is also where Zara Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, was married. Quite unlike St Giles’ Cathedral, this church was built in the Presbyterian style, meaning it was constructed after the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century that reshaped Scotland and much of Europe. The style is defined by its understated architecture and a plain, even austere, interior. Crowned with a gable reminiscent of Dutch design, it was completed in 1691 thanks to a bequest from wealthy merchant Thomas Moodie and the design of James Smith. Behind the church lies a cemetery where some of Edinburgh’s most notable figures are buried, including economist Adam Smith, poet Robert Fergusson, whose statue you’ll see to the right of the entrance, publishers John and James Ballantyne, who printed the works of Sir Walter Scott, and William Wilson, who fought alongside Bonnie Prince Charlie during the Jacobite uprising in the mid-18th century. Together, the church and its graveyard tell a rich story of Edinburgh’s and Scotland’s past.