Photographs of Holyrood Palace
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In 1128, King David I was hunting in what is now Holyrood Park, in
Edinburgh, when he was attacked by a stag. As the animal confronted him,
he had a vision of a cross, or a 'rood' between its antlers. He believed
he was seeing a representation of a relic of the cross of jesus that his
mother Queen Margaret had in her posession. He survived the confrontation,
and the next night he had a dream in which he was told to build
an Augustinian monastery on the spot he had seen the stag.
In 1501, King James IV of Scotland built a Royal palace on the site of the
monastery guesthouse and from this time on, Holyrood as it had become known,
became the official residence of Scottish kings and queens. The ruins of
the Abbey remain in the palace gardens.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is The Queen's official residence
in Scotland. Situated at the end of the Royal Mile, the Palace is the
setting for State ceremonies and official entertaining.
