The Glasgow Cathedral and
the beating heart of the City

When is a Cathedral not a Cathedral?...

Yes, that's me just trying to be clever (following on from the old when's a door not a door?...when it's ajar nonsense).

Many cathedrals in UK cities stand under faiths other than Catholicism, and when I was younger I remember being instantly hooked on the history of the Glasgow Cathedral when I learned that whilst it actively serves the Christian congregation of the Church of Scotland within the Presbytery of Glasgow, in fact it was originally Roman Catholic.

This astounding structure represents the only medieval cathedral in the mainland of Scotland to have mostly survived the Protestant Reformation in 1560, something which I dribble on about in my page on the Glasgow Cathedral Precinct, and is recognised widely as the high point in the construction of cathedrals in Europe.

So if you want a breathtaking starting point for your tour of the City, here you are!

Throughout the year you'll be able to enjoy the Summer Music Recitals and the Winder Lecture Series in the Cathedral, and given the active congregation, there are services every week which you are welcome to attend. Even if you miss the events at the Glasgow Cathedral however, simply visiting the building will satisfy your wish for a little background into the fiery timeline of the City and also for some inspirational photos to take back home with you (unless you're me of course, and you utterly fail to capture decent ones for a website!).

In this age, where technology and the distraction of the internet has gradually eroded patience, intricate skill, measured contemplation (OK yeah, so that makes me sound totally old & grumpy!), kicking back for a while in the calm, absolute mastery of a building like this can help you put a comma back in your life.

Every time I visit this place, it worries me that I don't spend enough time there appreciating the architecture, just how much love and detailed planning went into its construction down the ages. It worries me when I see tourists dart about here and there simply in an attempt to snap the best angle, mainly because it reminds me of myself whenever I'm on holiday, and I suppose that lack of pause which some might see as slightly disrespectful, may be more to do with just not having enough time to see everything on the Glasgow tour.

Either way, however much time you have to breathe in the Cathedral, I can guarantee that if you learn a wee bit of its history in advance and when you get there, try to imagine that history taking place in and around this jaw-dropping structure, your experience at the Glasgow Cathedral will be one of the most astonishingly rewarding you'll have while you're in the City, and that's including all those hours spent merrily in our pubs & restaurants!

A history to be remembered

There are plenty of books and better sites than mine outlining the history of the Cathedral, and I've even tried my humble hand at it in my page on the Precinct.

To cut a long story short therefore (too late?!!), although on the site of the Glasgow Cathedral there's been a place of worship ever since our patron Saint Kentigern (affectionately known here as St. Mungo) formed his monastic community in the 6th century, on the ancient Christian burial ground at Cathures dedicated by St. Ninian and around which sprung the City of Glasgow, in fact the oldest remaining part of the structure dates back to around 1181 when Bishop Jocelyn sought to enlarge what was standing at the time, and his work, including the majestic Lower Church, was completed by Bishop William de Bondington.

As an aside here, despite his gloriously respectable association with the Cathedral you see today, in Glasgow Bishop Jocelyn is perhaps a little more famous for giving us ra Glesca Ferr (July's annual Glasgow Fair Holiday), so I guess you can say he's much appreciated in these here parts, particularly by those Glaswegians who like to spend the Fair propping up a bar (I mean who are these people?!!...ahem).

The first stone Cathedral on the site was consecrated in around 1136 in the presence of King David I, and whilst it's believed to have been mostly destroyed by fire, it's thought that some of the stone in the present structure dates back to that original building. Various additions were constructed since that time, including in the 15th century the spectacuar Blacader Aisle, on what some consider marks the burial site of Fergus, the holy man St. Kentigern took here to bury, and after the Reformation (when the Cathedral, well, to put it politely, 'changed hands' from Catholicism to Protestantism), the Cathedral was divided over time to allow use by the Outer High, the Barony and the Inner High Congregations. Eventually however, everything was pulled back together to restore the Cathedral to its past magnificence.

As I mentioned above and on the Precinct page, the Glasgow Cathedral was at the heart of the Protestants' attempt to rid the country of Catholicism and was almost destroyed once again as a result. Thankfully however, it remains in place, and although this originally Roman Catholic building is now controlled by the protestant Kirk Session of the Church of Scotland, you can still look around and begin to understand that no matter which religion's practiced within its heavenly walls, you'll be standing right in the heart of Glasgow in a Cathedral built centuries ago for nothing less than faith, love & humanity.

It really is a symbol, a beacon of light in what remains a very religious but divided City in need of some direction. When I said above that understanding its history will help you understand Glasgow, I meant that when you walk around the Glasgow Cathedral and learn its story down the years, who constructed it, why it was built, what happened in and around its ancient walls, you might begin to realise that its ownership over time by the two conflicting religions reflects the divide between Catholics and Protestants in the City beyond.

You might also begin to wonder why therefore, if the Cathedral can sit in peace after all that's been said & done, why can't we?

So take a look at...

To be perfectly honest (when am I not?), to capture most of the Glasgow Cathedral you'll need at least an hour, but it can be done in less or more time depending on how you're fixed for the rest of the day. I'd recommend taking a saunter in a clockwise direction around the building and then back up the middle.

Aside from the sensational entrance Nave & Millennium Window down the length of the Cathedral, the main attraction (boy does that not sound right!) is the tomb of St. Kentigern who died on 13th January 603. It's situated in the Lower Church which can get pretty dark, but once your eyes adjust it'll be less haunting! You'll also want to look out for the King's Seat in the western gallery right before the Pulpitum, Fasic Spear's stained glass "The Creation and Clock" on the Great West Window (pictured above), and the second window in the South Aisle which shows the arms of the Trades House of Glasgow, responsbile it's believed for saving the Cathedral from complete destruction at the hands of a mob during the Reformation.

Finally, another great find I only learned about when I went there the last time, is the effigy of Bishop Wishart which is situated in the Crypt. Bishop Wishart is known to have been a friend of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and fought for the Scots against King Edward I of England in the 14th century (a 'must see' for all those Braveheart fans out there!).

Please bear in mind though, that as there's still an active congregation in the Glasgow Cathedral, while looking around it's best to be appropriately respectful & quiet.

How to get there

Directions to the Glasgow Cathedral Precinct are on my main Precinct page, and you'll find the Cathedral at the top of Castle Street on the right as you walk up, slap bang in between the unmissable Royal Infirmary and the St. Mungo Museum (from which you can get a great picture-taking opportunity of the Cathedral and the Necropolis behind it.

So I hope you enjoy your time at the Cathedral, and please let me know if you want to know more about its history.

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