St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh is set to bring in a tourist entry fee from September.
Tickets will be priced at £12, but free access will continue for all Scottish residents and under-16s.
Entry to St Giles’ is currently free, but the suggested donation is £10.
The High Kirk said the new ticket fees will help the Cathedral to share its story with national and international visitors as well as level up its in-house concerts and events.
“This is an exciting time in the life of St Giles’,” the Minister of the Cathedral, the Rev Dr Scott Rennie, said.
“As Scotland’s High Kirk we want to offer visitors from home and abroad the best possible experience and the opportunity to understand how faith and history have shaped Scotland’s life as a nation.
“I am confident that these changes will be transformational in incorporating the life and cares of Scottish people into our cycle of worship through the year.”
St Giles’ has been a site of worship for 900 years, and it welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors each year.
The Cathedral said it has an an organisational responsibility to ensure its longevity as a place of worship and as a key part of the Unesco World Heritage Site that is Edinburgh.
“St Giles’ has a complex and fascinating history,” Sarah O’Connor, head of heritage and culture at St Giles’ said.
“These changes will allow us to fully integrate storytelling into our visitor experience, and increase our ability to offer dynamic, impactful, and high-quality cultural events and projects.
“Fundamentally, we want our visitors to have a positive and meaningful experience and come away with a deeper understanding of the history and cultural role that makes St Giles’ Cathedral the High Kirk of Edinburgh.”
Jack Oades, organist and master of the music at St Giles’, said the increased funds from ticket sales will allow the Cathedral to “significantly level up” its musical offering and in-house concerts and events.
“This will not only allow us to improve the frequency of our choral worship, but to attract world-class performers and engage with the wider creative and cultural activities across Edinburgh and Scotland,” he said.