Gillis Centre

The Gillis Centre stands in Edinburgh’s city centre, a complex of buildings with roots in the 15th century. It began as Whitehouse, a mansion where leading figures of the 18th century wrote major works. In 1834 it became St Margaret’s Convent, the first post-Reformation convent in Scotland, run by Ursuline sisters. The chapel, designed by James Gillespie Graham with influence from A. W. N. Pugin, opened in 1835 and holds a relic of St Margaret of Scotland. Later it served as Gillis College, a seminary for trainee priests until 1993. The site is worth visiting for its layered history and architectural importance. The chapel is a Category A listed building, recognised for its national significance. John Home wrote his tragedy Douglas there in 1756, and Hugh Blair composed his Lectures in 1783. Bishop James Gillis raised funds on the Continent and brought back Sister Agnes Xavier and Sister Margaret Teresa to found the convent. The chapel’s neo-Norman style and later Gothic east end show the work of noted architects over decades. Visitors find the chapel with its aisled nave and apsidal east end, alongside the gatehouse and former convent buildings. The theological library from Gillis College remains on site, holding records of the seminary’s work. The complex now houses offices for the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, managing diocesan commissions and agencies. Though the residential and conference functions have closed, the site still conveys centuries of religious and literary heritage in a quiet corner near the city centre.