Glasgow Cathedral () is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It was the

cathedral church A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of the Archbishop of Glasgow, and the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...

of the Archdiocese of Glasgow and the province of Glasgow, from the 12th century until the

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process whereby Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke away from the Catholic Church, and established the Protestant Church of Scotland. It forms part of the wider European 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Fr ...

in the 16th century. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. With

St Magnus Cathedral St Magnus Cathedral dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. Originally Roman Catholic, it is the oldest cathedral in Scotland and the most northerly cathedral in the ...

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

, they are the only

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

cathedrals in Scotland to have survived the Reformation virtually intact. The medieval

Bishop's Castle Bishop's Castle is a market town in the south west of Shropshire, England. According to the 2011 Census it had a population of 1,893. Bishop's Castle is east of the Wales–England border, about north-west of Ludlow and about south-west of ...

stood to the west of the cathedral until 1789. Although notionally it lies within the

Townhead Townhead (, ) is a district within the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of Glasgow's oldest areas, and contains two of its major surviving medieval landmarks – Glasgow Cathedral and the Provand's Lordship. In medieval times, Townhead was ...

area of the city, the Cathedral grounds and the neighboring

Necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

are considered to be their own district within the city. The cathedral is dedicated to

Saint Mungo Kentigern (; ), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this saint is known by his birth and baptis ...

(also known as Kentigern), the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of Glasgow, whose tomb lies at the centre of the building's Lower Church. The first stone cathedral was dedicated in 1136, in the presence of

David I David I may refer to: * David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399 * David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741) * David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881) * David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048) * David I of Scotland ...

. Fragments of this building have been found beneath the structure of the present cathedral, which was dedicated in 1197, although much of the present cathedral dates from a major rebuilding in the 13th century. Following its foundation in 1451, the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

held its first classes within the cathedral's

chapter house A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

. After the Reformation, Glasgow Cathedral was internally partitioned to serve three separate congregations (Inner High, Outer High and

Barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

). The early 19th century saw a growing appreciation of the cathedral's medieval architecture, and by 1835 both the Outer High and Barony congregations had moved elsewhere in the city, allowing the restoration of the cathedral to something approaching its former glory. Glasgow Cathedral has been

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

property since 1587. The entire cathedral building passed into the care of the state in 1857, and today it is the responsibility of

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) () is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the merger of government agency Historic Sc ...

. The congregation is today part of the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Glasgow.

History

Pogled s groblja na katedralu u Glasgowu 2024

Early history

The history of Glasgow Cathedral is closely linked with that of the city. In the 6th century

is said to have brought the body of a holy man, Fergus, for burial at a site named Cathures (which came to be known as Glasgow). Saint Ninian is reputed to have dedicated the burial ground there on the western bank of the

Molendinar Burn The Molendinar Burn is a small tributary of the Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland, now largely culverted. It is popularly associated with Saint Mungo, who is said to have founded his church on its banks. The name may stem from Mellingdenor, a place m ...

in the 5th century (the cathedral's Blacader Aisle may mark this site). Mungo built a

monastic cell A cell is a small room used by a hermit, monk, nun or anchorite to live and as a devotional space. Cells are often part of larger cenobitic monastic communities such as Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Orthodox Christian monasteries, as well ...

in the burial ground, and was buried in his church there in 614. His shrine in the Lower Church of Glasgow Cathedral was an important place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

in the medieval period. Little is known about the early church buildings, except that they would have been of

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

and wattle construction. The first stone cathedral was built on high ground above the steep western bank of the Molendinar Burn. Initiated by the decision of

to establish (or re-establish) a bishopric at Glasgow, the new cathedral was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

in 1136 in the presence of David and his court during the episcopate of John Capellanus. Constructed over St Mungo's burial place – a sacred location which may explain the otherwise unusual hillside site – the cathedral rose slowly, not without interruption and recasting, over a period of some 150 years. Excavations at Glasgow Cathedral between 1988 and 1997 uncovered architectural fragments of this first stone cathedral beneath the floor of the present cathedral. The west front of the 1136 cathedral lay at the third pier of the existing

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and its east end included the area of St Mungo's tomb. Following the defeat of

Somerled Somerled (died 1164), known in Middle Irish as Somairle, Somhairle, and Somhairlidh, and in Old Norse as Sumarliði , was a mid-12th-century Norse-Gaelic lord who, through marital alliance and military conquest, rose in prominence to create the ...

in 1164 at the Battle of Renfrew, Somerled's head was brought to the cathedral. In 1175

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...

recognised Glasgow as 'a special daughter' of Rome, freeing the diocese from the jurisdiction of the

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...

. Around the same time Bishop Jocelin was granted a charter by

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

to establish Glasgow as a

burgh of barony A burgh of barony was a type of Scottish town (burgh). Burghs of barony were distinct from royal burghs, as the title was granted to a landowner who, as a tenant-in-chief, held his estates directly from the crown. (In some cases, they might also ...

, but with the privileges of a

royal burgh A royal burgh ( ) was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. Most royal burghs were either created by ...

. The king attributed the birth of his only son,

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

, to the intercession of St Mungo.

Medieval period

Destroyed or severely damaged by fire, the first cathedral was succeeded by the present cathedral, which was consecrated in 1197. Between 1207 and 1232, Bishop Walter Capellanus embarked upon a building programme which saw the completion of the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and the Lower Church, and provided the basis for the layout of the transepts and nave as eventually built. From 1233 to 1258, Walter's successor, Bishop William de Bondington continued the rebuilding, which included a new, longer, eastern arm to provide a shrine to St Mungo at the main level, and adding three projections (the chapter house, the sacristy/treasury, and what later became the Blacader Aisle). Construction work continued for much of the 13th century, including the central tower and spire, a bell-tower at the north-west corner of the nave (a south-west tower was added in the 14th century).

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

visited the cathedral in August 1301 during the

First War of Scottish Independence The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland (1296), English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until ...

, making offerings over four days at the high altar and the tomb of Saint Mungo. Following the killing of

John Comyn John Comyn III of Badenoch, nicknamed the Red ( 1274 – 10 February 1306), was a leading Scottish baron and magnate who played an important role in the First War of Scottish Independence. He served as Guardian of Scotland after the forced ...

Greyfriars, Dumfries Greyfriars, Dumfries, was a friary of the Friars Minor, commonly known as the Franciscans, established in Dumfries, Scotland. Following dissolution the friary was demolished and the site levelled. The locality has retained a reference to the f ...

in February 1306,

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...

hurried to Glasgow where he met with Robert Wishart, the "warrior" Bishop of Glasgow, in whose diocese the murder had been committed. Wishart granted Bruce absolution and urged the clergy throughout the land to rally to him, before accompanying Robert to

Scone A scone ( or ) is a traditional British and Irish baked good, popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is usually made of either wheat flour or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often ...

where he was crowned as Robert I. Wishart used timber which had given to him by the English to repair the bell tower of Glasgow Cathedral to make siege engines, and laid siege to the English-held Kirkintilloch Castle, before crossing into

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

where he took charge of the assault on Cupar Castle. After his death in 1316, Wishart's body was entombed between the chapels of Saints Peter and Paul and Saint Andrew at the east end of the cathedral's Lower Church. The tomb is uninscribed and the head of the effigy has been defaced at some point, probably during the Reformation. In 1406 a lightning strike caused significant damage, including to the wooden steeple. Bishops William de Lauder (1408–25), John Cameron (1426–46) and William Turnbull (1447–54) rebuilt the central tower,

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

and chapter house. Bishop Turnbull was primarily responsible for the foundation of the

. Turnbull prompted James II (who was a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of the cathedral) to write to

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V (; ; 15 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene IV made him a Cardinal (Catholic Chu ...

to request the establishment of a university in Glasgow. The Pope responded with a

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

issued on 7 January 1451, which erected a new ''

Studium generale is the old customary name for a medieval university in medieval Europe. Overview There is no official definition for the term . The term ' first appeared at the beginning of the 13th century out of customary usage, and meant a place where stud ...

'' in Glasgow for the teaching of ''"theology, canon and civil law, as well as the arts and any other lawful faculty"''. The Bishops of Glasgow were to serve as the Chancellors of the new University of Glasgow, which held its first classes within the chapter house of Glasgow Cathedral, before moving to the Pedagogium or "Auld Pedagogy" on the Rottenrow. By the 15th century the cathedral stood within an extensive walled precinct known as the chanonry, containing the

, the

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

s of the cathedral prebendaries, the houses of the vicars choral, St Nicholas' Hospital (founded in 1450), and the burial ground. Much was cleared away in the aftermath of the

in 1560, and the only upstanding structure surviving today is the late 15th-century

Provand's Lordship Provand's Lordship is a medieval-period in Scotland, medieval historic house museum in Glasgow, Scotland, located in the Townhead area at the top of Castle Street within sight of Glasgow Cathedral and next to the St Mungo Museum of Religious Li ...

, on the west side of Castle Street. In 1492

Pope Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII (; ; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death, in July 1492. Son of the viceroy of Naples, Cybo spent his ea ...

raised the see of Glasgow to the rank of

archbishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...

(who was a canon of the cathedral) ratified the

treaty of Perpetual Peace The Treaty of Perpetual Peace was signed by James IV of Scotland and Henry VII of England in 1502. It agreed to end the intermittent warfare between Scotland and England which had been waged over the previous two hundred years, and, although it ...

with England at the high altar on 10 December 1502. The cathedral and the nearby castle played a part in the battles of Glasgow in 1544 and 1560.

Reformation

The

saw Archbishop James Beaton flee to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, taking the diocesan records with him, and Glasgow Cathedral was 'cleansed' of its Catholic furnishings such as altars and sculpture, and the roof was apparently stripped of lead. It was decided to retain the building for Protestant worship, and in 1562 David Wemyss, who had been minister of

Ratho Ratho () is a village in the rural west part of the City of Edinburgh council area, Scotland. Its population at the 2011 census was 1,634 based on the 2010 definition of the locality. It was formerly in the old county of Midlothian (historic), ...

, became the first Protestant minister of Glasgow Cathedral. The fabric of the cathedral suffered from vandalism and plunder, and by 1574 it was in sufficiently bad condition to attract the attention of the Glasgow town council: ''"the greit dekaye and ruyne that the hie kirk of Glasgow is cum to, throuch taking awaye of the leid, sciait and wther grayth thairof in this trublus tyme bygane sua that sick arte greit monument will alluterlie fall doun and dekey without it be remidit"''.Driscoll, Stephen, ''Excavations at Glasgow Cathedral 1988-1997'', Routledge (2002), p.18 The condition was serious enough to encourage the town council to raise a tax of £200 for repairs to the cathedral in that same year, but the process of repairing the cathedral and modifying it for

presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

worship dragged on for years. Many of the windows were bricked up, in 1578 the lead of the cathedral roof was repaired, and in 1579 the members of the Glasgow Trades House defended the cathedral from further depredation, enabling it to survive the Reformation relatively unscathed. On 22 April 1581

James VI James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

granted the income from a number of lands to Glasgow town for the cathedral's upkeep. In July 1584 the Reverend Wemyss was pulled from the pulpit of the cathedral by members of the town council and other supporters of episcopalianism, to make way for Robert Montgomery, who had been appointed as " tulchan" Archbishop of Glasgow by the

Duke of Lennox The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (histo ...

. The cathedral eventually came to house three congregations. In 1587 the congregation of the Outer High Church, which served the eastern part of the city, began worshipping in the nave, eventually securing a distinct architectural space in 1647 when a stone wall was erected at the east end of the nave.Driscoll, Stephen, ''Excavations at Glasgow Cathedral 1988-1997'', Routledge (2002), p.19 In 1595 the Barony Church congregation was created. Its parish covered the area surrounding the city and it worshipped in the cathedral's Lower Church. In 1635 the choir was transformed through the erection of a partition on the pulpitum into the High Church or, as it came to be called, the Inner High Church. Following the signing of the

National Covenant The National Covenant () was an agreement signed by many people of Scotland during 1638, opposing the proposed Laudian reforms of the Church of Scotland (also known as '' the Kirk'') by King Charles I. The king's efforts to impose changes on th ...

, the

General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body.''An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland'' by A. Gordon McGillivray, ...

met in the cathedral in November 1638. Dominated by the

Covenanters Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son ...

, the Assembly nullified all acts and pronouncements of General Assemblies held between 1606 and 1618 because they had been dominated by the King and bishops, abolished episcopacy in the Church of Scotland and affirmed the Assembly's right to meet annually.

18th-19th centuries

In 1798, the Barony Church ceased using the Lower Church for worship, and the entire crypt was transformed into a burial place. This involved introducing about one metre of earth over the floor and the erection of railings to mark out the lairs. During the 18th and 19th centuries, several memorial to Glasgow's Tobacco Lords, who made their fortune in slave-produced

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, were erected in the cathedral. The included Alexander Spiers of Elderslie, Sir James Stirling of Keir and Cecilia Douglas, all of whom owned slaves in the West Indies. Douglas also commissioned a glass-stained window in the cathedral to preserve her own and her family's legacy, which has since been removed. In the 1830s there was a growing appreciation of the architectural significance of the building which led to the execution of detailed architectural drawings and the publication of proposals for restoration work. By 1835, both the Outer High Kirk and the Barony Kirk had left the premises, leaving the Inner High Kirk congregation in sole possession of the cathedral. In 1843 the graves and earth were removed from the Lower Church and, as part of restorations to the crypt and the chapter house, the original levels of the floors were restored and the windows were opened up. The 1840s also saw the demolition of the two towers which flanked the west front. The 144 feet (43 metres) tall north-west tower served as the cathedral's bell tower until the central tower was completed in the 15th century, while the 70 feet (21 metres) tall south-west tower, or consistory house, housed the diocesan records and ecclesiastical courts of the archbishops of Glasgow. In the 1840s, it was mistakenly thought that the two towers were not of great antiquity and they were thought to obscure the west door and window. The south-western tower was demolished in 1846 and the north-western tower was demolished in 1848. A lack of funds prevented their 'balanced' replacements from being built, and the present nave aisles were formed instead, under the direction of

Edward Blore Edward Blore (13 September 1787 – 4 September 1879) was a 19th-century English landscape and architectural artist, architect and antiquary. Early career Blore was born in Derby, the son of the antiquarian writer Thomas Blore. Blore's backg ...

. In 1852 the galleries in the Inner High Kirk were removed, and in 1857 the entire cathedral building passed into the care of the state. The 1860s saw the windows of the nave and choir replaced with

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

by the Royal Bavarian Stained Glass Establishment in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. This scheme was one of the largest public art commissions of the Victorian age. In 1879 the organ, built by Henry Willis, was installed in the triforium of the choir, the first in the cathedral since the Reformation. In 1849

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

paid an official visit to the cathedral. , edited by George Eyre-Todd, is a significant collection of writings from a number of different authors on the history and other aspects of the cathedral which was printed in 1898 by Morison Brothers of 52 Renfield Street in Glasgow.

20th century to the present

Between 1909 and 1912 the medieval timber roofs over the choir and nave (which were found to be unsafe) were replaced with new oak roofs, under the direction of William Thomas Oldrieve, Architect for Scotland within the Office of Works. The weight of the roof was reduced by the substitution of copper sheeting for lead and slate, and the distinctive green copper roofing on the exterior of the nave and choir dates from that time. By 1938 the colours of the 'Munich Glass' had faded and the leading of the windows had deteriorated and needed to be replaced. The Society of Friends of Glasgow Cathedral decided that it should be replaced by works of the best contemporary artists.

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

unveiled a window in 1954 in memory of the dead of the four Scottish divisions in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1971 a memorial service was held in Glasgow Cathedral following the Ibrox Stadium disaster which claimed the lives of 66 football supporters. The funeral of

First Minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...

Donald Dewar Donald Campbell Dewar (21 August 1937 – 11 October 2000) was a Scottish statesman and politician who served as the inaugural First Minister of Scotland, first minister of Scotland from 1999 until his death in 2000 and leader of the Labour Par ...

was held in the cathedral in October 2000.

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

attended services of thanksgiving at Glasgow Cathedral to mark her

Silver Jubilee Silver Jubilee marks a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, the 25th year of a monarch's reign or anything that has completed or is entering a 25-year mark. Royal Silver Jubilees since 1750 Note: This ...

in 1977 and her

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

in 2012. File:Glasgow Cathedral McFarlane and Erskine 882503e5-8dbc-4c2d-b03e-9c8e43e8c9ea.png, 1898 plan of Glasgow Cathedral File:Glasgow Cathedral lower church McFarlane and Erskine 2a2385da-f4e4-4db0-96f9-91a85bcfc5f7.png, 1898 plan of the Lower Church of Glasgow Cathedral File:Bishop Wishart's effigy, crypt of Glasgow Cathedral.JPG, Defaced effigy on the tomb of Bishop Robert Wishart File:Glasgow Cathedral - Choir.jpg, Choir

Ministers of Glasgow Cathedral

*David Wemyss (1562–1615) *Robert Scott (1616–1629) *John Maxwell (1629–1639) * Edward Wright (1641–1646) *Robert Ramsay (1647–1651) *James Durham (1651–1658) *Ralph Rodger (1659–1662) *

Arthur Rose Arthur Rose (also found as Ross; 1634–1704) was a Scottish Minister of the Church of Scotland, minister, Archbishop of St Andrews, and, informally, the first Episcopal Primate of Scotland, after the fall of the Restoration Episcopate in 1689. ...

(1664–1675) *Richard Waddell (1682–1684) *Archibald Inglis (1685–1687) *Ralph Rodger (1687–1689) *James Brown (1690–1714) *George Campbell (1715–1748) *John Hamilton (1749–1780) * William Taylor (1780–1823) * Duncan Macfarlan (1824–1857) *John Robertson (1858–1865) *George Stewart Burns (1865–1896) * Pearson McAdam Muir (1896–1915) *James McGibbon (1916–1922) * Lauchlan Maclean Watt (1923–1934) *

Nevile Davidson Andrew Nevile Davidson, (13 February 1899 – 20 December 1976) was a senior Church of Scotland Minister (Christianity), minister. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Moderator of the General Assembly of th ...

(1935–1967) *

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

(1967–2005) *Laurence A. B. Whitley (2007–2017) *Mark E. Johnstone (2019–present)

Great Bell

The great bell of the cathedral now stands on the floor of the cathedral as an object of interest rather than hanging in the tower. Its inscription says it was originally made in

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

in 1583 at the expense of Marcus Knox, a Glasgow merchant. It was broken in 1778 and recast in London in 1790 by Thomas Mears.Book of Days vol.2 p.49 by R. Chambers

Music

Glasgow Cathedral Choir is a professional adult ensemble, singing at the two regular Sunday services each week. The current director of music is Andrew Forbes and the cathedral organist is Malcolm Sim. The four-manual Father Willis organ was installed in 1879, and has been maintained by

Harrison & Harrison Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company based in Durham that makes and restores pipe organs. It was established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and t ...

since they rebuilt the instrument in 1996.

Directors of Music

*1879

Albert Lister Peace Albert Lister Peace (26 January 1844 – 14 March 1912) was a British organist, arranger, composer, editor and author who first played the organ professionally at the age of nine. He went on to become the organist for Glasgow Cathedral (1879–18 ...

*1897 Herbert Walton *1929 R H Clifford Smith *1936 Wilfred J Emery *1965 John Turner *2010 Ian Simcock *2012 Richard Pratt *2014 Andrew Forbes

Burials

Cathedral

* John Anderson, Lord Provost of Glasgow (1667) * John Anderson of Dowhill, Lord Provost (4 times between 1689 and 1705) * James Boyd, Archbishop of Glasgow (1573–1581) * Gavin Dunbar, Archbishop (1524–1547) * James Law, Archbishop (1615–1632) *

, founder and patron saint of Glasgow * Sir John Stewart of Minto, Lord Provost (1543–1544) * Sir Matthew Stewart of Minto, Lord Provost (4 times between 1581 and 1599) * Sir Robert Stewart of Minto, Lord Provost (1526–1536) * Walter Stewart, Archbishop (1585–1587) * Robert Wishart, Bishop of Glasgow (1271–1316)

Old Burial Ground

* Mary Hill of Gairbraid (1730–1809), landowner * George Hutcheson (c.1558-1639), lawyer and merchant, founder of

Hutchesons' Grammar School Hutchesons' Grammar School is a private, co-educational day school for pupils aged 3–18 in Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded as Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School by George Hutcheson and Thomas Hutcheson in 1641, making it the 19th oldest scho ...

* Thomas Hutcheson (1590–1641), lawyer, founder of

* Peter Lowe (c.1550-1610), surgeon *

Charles Macintosh Charles Macintosh FRS (29 December 1766 – 25 July 1843) was a Scottish chemist and the inventor of the modern waterproof raincoat. The Mackintosh raincoat (the variant spelling is now standard) is named after him. Biography Macintosh was ...

(1766–1843), chemist and inventor * Peter Murdoch of Rosehill (1670–1761), Lord Provost of Glasgow (1730–1732) * John Ogilvie (1580 - 1615), outlawed

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

and canonized

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

of the

Catholic Church in Scotland The Catholic Church in Scotland, overseen by the Scottish Bishops' Conference, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church headed by the Pope. Christianity first arrived in Roman Britain and was strengthened by the conversion of the Picts thr ...

Gallery

File:Glasgow Cathedral, Southwest View engraved by John Henry Le Keux - ABDAG006447.jpg, ''Glasgow Cathedral, Southwest View'', engraving by

John Henry Le Keux John Henry Le Keux (23 March 1812 – 4 February 1896) was an English architectural engraver and draughtsman. Life The son of John Le Keux, he was born in Argyll Street, Euston Road, London, on 23 March 1812, and studied under James Basire III. He ...

, 1847 File:Valentine's postcard of Glasgow Cathedral And Necropolis.JPG, An old postcard view of the cathedral (1893) File:Glasgow Cathedral, Cathedral Square 14.jpg, Choir viewed from the pulpit File:Glasgow Cathedral, Cathedral Square 18.jpg, South aisle of the nave File:Glasgow Cathedral graffiti 962d38d2-7ec0-4398-b8d3-165956d036d1.jpg, , graffiti on the outer south wall of the Chapter House File:Glasgow Cathedral gargoyles.jpg, Gargoyles along the south side of the nave

Notes

References

External links

Official site of Glasgow Cathedral
* *

– History and original drawings of the Cathedral area.

– from Virtual Scotland
Glasgow Cathedral Photographs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glasgow Cathedral 12th-century church buildings in Scotland 13th-century church buildings in Scotland Tourist attractions in Glasgow St Mungo's Category A listed buildings in Glasgow Historic Environment Scotland properties in Glasgow Listed cathedrals in Scotland

Scottish parliamentary locations and buildings Mungo's Protestant churches converted from Roman Catholicism Listed churches in Glasgow