St. Luke's Greek Orthodox Cathedral is a

cathedral 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

Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...

in the Dowanhill district of

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 ...

History

Belhaven U.P. Church

The church was designed by James Sellars and built in 1877 as the Belhaven Church for the

United Presbyterian Church of Scotland The United Presbyterian Church (1847–1900) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination. It was formed in 1847 by the union of the United Secession Church and the Relief Church, and in 1900 merged with the Free Church of Scotland to form the U ...

. The church was built in Norman Gothic style, inspired by

Dunblane Cathedral Dunblane Cathedral is the larger of the two Church of Scotland parish churches serving Dunblane, near the city of Stirling, in central Scotland. The lower half of the tower is pre- Romanesque from the 11th century, and was originally free-stan ...

. The congregation became part 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 ...

in 1929 and continued to meet there until 1960. A prominent feature of the church is the collection of

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 ...

windows designed by Stephen Adam which depict scenes from the Old and New Testament."Scenes from the Old and New Testament Designed by Stephen Adams (1848-1910)"
''Victorian Web''. Retrieved on 21 July 2020.

Orthodoxy

Following the amalgamation of Behaven Church with a neighbouring congregation, the Belhaven Church building was no longer needed by the Church of Scotland. It was converted to a Greek Orthodox Church; the work was paid for by Sir Reo Stakis. Stakis had also paid for the first (much smaller) Greek Orthodox church in the city, in 1953. On 24 May 1970 the Patriarch Nicholas VI of Alexandria, who was attending 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, ...

, visited St. Luke's and elevated it to the status of a Cathedral, with the blessing of the

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...

. This occasion is commemorated with a marble plaque, inscribed with gold lettering, at the right side of the entrance hall. On Sunday 7 July 1996 the cathedral was visited by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, who celebrated the Divine Liturgy.

Other cathedrals

The other cathedrals in Glasgow are St. Andrew's Cathedral (

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

) and St. Mary's Cathedral ( Episcopalian). Glasgow Cathedral (

) is also in Glasgow, but it is not a Cathedral Church, as it is no longer the seat of a bishop. Nearby churches include: * Jordanhill Parish Church (Church of Scotland) * Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church (Church of Scotland) * St. John's Renfield Church (Church of Scotland) * St. Mary's Cathedral (Scottish Episcopal Church) * Wellington Church (Church of Scotland)

References

External links

Website of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Luke
Churches completed in 1877 19th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Category B listed buildings in Glasgow Luke's Tourist attractions in Glasgow Listed cathedrals in Scotland James Sellars buildings Church buildings converted to a different denomination Hillhead Greek Orthodox cathedrals in the United Kingdom Eastern Orthodoxy in Scotland Cathedrals in Scotland Listed churches in Glasgow 1877 establishments in Scotland {{UK-EO-church-stub