Ornament of The Thistle's Chapel

The Order of the Thistle is Scotland's great order of chivalry, and membership is considered to be one of the country's highest honours. The Order is traditionally given to Scots or people of Scots ancestry, who have given distinguished service. Appointments are entirely in the personal gift of the Sovereign.

The Order of the Thistle has roots in the Middle Ages, but the presentday order was largely created in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland (King James II of England). The nave of Holyrood Abbey was adapted as its chapel, but in 1688 the Abbey was ransacked by the Edinburgh mob, furious at King James’ Roman Catholic allegiance. After that, the Knights of the Thistle had no chapel of their own for over 200 years

The image was made with Hasselblad 501C with 250mm Zeiss Plannar lens, a yellow filter and Kodak Tmax 400 rated at 320; The negative was developed with Rodinal 1:50 with N process; The print was developed with Ansco 120