Our Story
Situated in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, Greyfriars Kirk was founded in 1620 and is the first church to be built in post-Reformation Edinburgh.
We are proud to be a welcoming and inclusive church to people of all faiths and none, responding to local needs in a variety of ways, especially through our work with the Grassmarket Community Project and the Greyfriars Charteris Centre.
The Kirk is also an important venue for the arts, a beautiful space for social events and a popular visitor destination, welcoming a record 90,000 visitors from all over the world last year.
Watch our short video to learn more!
The Greyfriars Family
Greyfriars Kirk sits at the centre of the Greyfriars Family. Our four member organisations also include Greyfriars Outreach, Grassmarket Community Project and Greyfriars Charteris Centre. Greyfriars Kirk is a Church of Scotland congregation at whose initiative they were all formed.
Greyfriars Outreach opens the Kirk to visitors and as a venue to host a wide range of artistic and social events ranging from concerts, to wedding receptions, to conferences.
The Grassmarket Community Project works with some of the most vulnerable members of our society, bringing people in from deep social exclusion through volunteering, educational and social opportunities.
Greyfriars Charteris Centre is a place for community, connection and wellbeing. It provides a base and support for social enterprises, charities, local groups and activities gathering around interests and issues that include mental and physical health, faith, culture and the arts.
Together, and in different ways, the family serve our neighbours through:
• Community: Building our common life together through hospitality, whether in the church congregation or among the many other groups that cross our thresholds.
• Compassion: Addressing the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
• Commerce: Running social enterprises that generate finance through meeting the needs of our customers while also supporting our members, our staff and our volunteers.
• Culture: Using art, music and performance and the insights of Christianity to meet each other’s spiritual needs.
