St Triduana's Well Chapel, Edinburgh

The cult of St Triduana takes you from this curious suburban well chapel to the glorious wilderness of northern Orkney, though no official pilgrim route has been devised

Highlights

• Former shrine and bathing pool of St Triduana

I peered through the dusty windows of St Triduana’s curious hexagonal chapel, trying to catch a glimpse of the well chamber that once drew pilgrims in their thousands. It sits in the churchyard in a north Edinburgh suburb, a hidden gem whose history seems all but forgotten. The bathing chamber is now dry, and the building locked and disused, offering few clues as to the extraordinary life of its patron, St Triduana.

A little statue of the saint in the middle of the roof is the closest we can currently get to St Triduana, who worked here as an abbess sometime between the 4th and the 8th centuries, depending on which medieval account you read.

A large bathing pool was built here in the 15th century, once filling the entire stone room. The building is sunk into the ground, and water would still flow into it were it not for a pumping system.

One legend about St Triduana is told in various accounts: she deliberately blinded herself. She was approached by a Pictish king who wanted to marry her, having been enchanted by her beautiful eyes. She promptly removed them and gave them to him so that she could continue her monastic life. She perhaps lived on Orkney.

At some stage towards the end of her life, St Triduana came to Restalrig, now a suburb of Edinburgh, and founded a nunnery. After death, her relics were kept in a chapel above the well chamber and became famous for curing blind people. The chapel was founded in 1460 and destroyed exactly 100 years later at the Reformation. The statue dates from the early 20th century when the well chamber – but not the relic chapel above it – was restored.

Although it is next to a parish church, the wellhouse itself is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. Even if remembrance of the saints is controversial, the story of St Triduana and her community is still part of the country’s spiritual as well as architectural heritage. Although it sees no ritual use anymore, the local church does at least hold a key, and private visits can be arranged.

Directions

St Margaret’s Church, Restalrig Road South, Restalrig, Edinburgh EH7 6LE

www.historicenvironment.scot (search: Triduana)

W3W: dawn.pushed.speeds

GPS: 55.9575N 3.1497W

The well chapel is in the grounds of St Margaret’s Church, Restalrig. The church is down the narrow, one-way Restalrig Road South, heading north from the roundabout beside Restalrig’s fire station. Visiting the chapel needs to be arranged in advance with the church, tel: 0131 554 7400.

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