St Columba's Church is a

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

Parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

that serves a

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

congregation in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

History

The

congregation of St Columba in

dates back to 1770. It was established to cater for the spiritual needs of the large number of Gaelic speakers from the

Highlands and Islands The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides (Western Isles). The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 18 ...

of Scotland settling in Glasgow in search of employment. The church still has a weekly

Sunday service A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. It often but not exclusively occurs on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sa ...

, as well as weekly services in English. Shortly before leaving Scotland to permanently emigrate to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

in 1903,

Mull Mull may refer to: Places *Isle of Mull, a Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides ** Sound of Mull, between the Isle of Mull and the rest of Scotland * Mount Mull, Antarctica *Mull Hill, Isle of Man * Mull, Arkansas, a place along Arkansas Highway ...

-born Gaelic poet

Duncan Livingstone Duncan Livingstone (Donnchadh MacDhunléibhe) ( Torloisk, Isle of Mull, 30 March 1877 – Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, 25 May 1964) was a Scottish Gaelic Bard from the Isle of Mull, who lived most of his life in South Africa. Family or ...

carved the inscription ''Tigh Mo Chridhe, Tigh Mo Gràidh'' ("House of My Heart, House of My Love") on the lintel of the main door of the church. The current church building in Glasgow's St Vincent Street was opened on Saturday 17 September 1904, and is built in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. It was designed by architects Tennant and Burke and is now protected as a category B listed building. Because of its size and association with Gaeldom and the Gaelic language it is also popularly known as the Highland Cathedral. Past ministers have included two former Moderators of the General Assembly: the Very Rev. Dr. Norman MacLeod (minister 1835-1862) and husband of poetess

Agnes Maxwell MacLeod Agnes Maxwell MacLeod (1783–1879) also known as Mrs. Norman MacLeod was a Scottish poet. She is best known as the author of the ballad '' Sound the Pibroch''. Life Agnes Maxwell was born on the Isle of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides. In her ea ...

, in 1836; and the Very Reverend Dr Alexander MacDonald (minister 1929-1954) in 1948.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=October 2019

External links

Official website.
Saint Columba Church, Glasgow

Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

Category B listed buildings in Glasgow Listed churches in Glasgow 1770 establishments in Scotland Churches completed in 1904 20th-century Church of Scotland church buildings Religious organizations established in 1770

History

See also

References

External links