St Michael's Church, Inveresk

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St Michael’s Church, Inveresk is a Church of Scotland parish church serving Musselburgh, in Scotland. It is known as the Visible Kirk because it sits high on a hill in the historic village of Inveresk. It is a Category A listed building, meaning it is of national importance.

There have been at least three churches on this site. The first was a wooden church built near the ruins of a Roman fort, said to have been started by the Irish missionary nun Modwenna. The second was a medieval stone church built before 1547, which was used during campaigns by Oliver Cromwell and Bonnie Prince Charlie. James Wishart preached there with John Knox as part of an armed guard.

By the late 1700s the medieval church was in poor condition, so a new church was planned to stop people from going to other places of worship. The present church was built in 1805, designed by Robert Nisbet with the steeple by William Sibbald. The interior was rearranged in 1895 to fit a Lewis pipe organ donated by the Kirkwood family of Haddington. More changes were made in 2002.

Inside are many stained glass windows, including the notable God in Creation, Providence and Redemption by Douglas Strachan, installed in 1923.

In 1954 Mary Lusk, who would later be known as Rev Mary Levison, served as deaconess here for four years and later became the Church of Scotland’s first female minister.

In July 1999 the church raised over £100,000 from selling four 380-year-old silver communion cups because the church could no longer store or insure them. The cups were made in Edinburgh and donated by the Earl of Dunfermline. The money was used for roof repairs and mission work. One cup is now in Huntly House Museum in Edinburgh.

The church has had several ministers over the years. It is surrounded by a large graveyard that extends west for about 300 metres and is divided into sections from different periods: original 18th-century, late Victorian, Edwardian/early 20th century to the north, and a modern section to the far west. The graveyard is owned and cared for by East Lothian Council and contains many notable graves.