The doorway is flanked by niches containing small statues of Scottish monarchs and churchmen by John Rhind. INDEX
A22. WEST DOOR DETAIL GA WC
For example, the right-hand figure in the top left row is Alexander III, a Scottish king, chiefly remembered for ending the Norse threat from the western isles by defeating an invasion force led by the Norwegian king, Haakon IV, at the battle of Largs in 1263. [Photo Credit: Kim Traynor]
A23. ABOVE THE WEST DOOR GA GA
John Rind also carved the relief of St Giles in the tympanum. Saint Giles, also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône, most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly legendary. A town that bears his name grew up around the monastery he purportedly founded, which became a pilgrimage centre and a stop on the Way of Saint James. He is traditionally one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.