Glasgow Cathedral's future was defined when John Knox, ordained as a Roman Catholic priest, turned to Protestantism.
The early history of Glasgow is inextricably bound to the legend of one man. He is St Kentigern, a name that means head chief.
St Mungo
Now better know as St Mungo (dear friend) he was born in Fife in the second decade of the sixth century. His birthplace said to be the spot where his mother came ashore, cast adrift on the River Forth as punishment for committing adultery. His father is unknown.
As a young man Mungo was brought up in Fife and was trained for the priesthood by St Serf at a nearby monastery.
When he eventually left the security of the monastery he travelled, heading for the west coast of Scotland.
Towards the middle of the sixth century, the King of Strathclyde, Roderick Hael chose Mungo as his bishop and for more than ten years, he worked as a missionary converting local people to Christianity.
As a large community grew up around him, he built a church on the eastern slope of a hill overlooking the Molendinar burn. The area became known as Clasgu (the dear family) and ultimately grew into the city of Glasgow.
Glasgow Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral stands on the site of this original church.
The first church was wooden and probably changed considerably over the years; five hundred years after the original was built, King David consecrated the first stone church on the site in 1136.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the birth of one man would alter the course of Scottish history.
John Knox
John Knox was born in Haddington near Edinburgh about 1505, and was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in Scotland but later turning away from the Catholic faith and embracing Protestantism.
In the upheaval that established the Scottish church, Knox’s actions ensured the Catholic Mass and adherence to the Pope’s authority was swept away in an orgy of violence and destruction.
Compared to many of Scotland’s other religious houses Glasgow Cathedral escaped relatively unscathed. Many of the town’s citizens were simply not prepared to see the destruction of a building which was not only a place of worship but also a focal point of the community.
Today a visitor to this Gothic Cathedral would find the exterior rather austere but the inside, awe-inspiring.
When you enter the nave you get an immediate feeling of space. The vaulted roof soars to 105 feet and you can see the entire 285-feet length of the building.
A number of regimental colours adorn the nave’s walls reminding us of Scots who fought in more modern conflicts: the 3rd regiment of the Foot Guards (later to become the Scots Guards) the Cameronians and the Highland Light Infantry, a regiment particularly associated with Glasgow.
A choir screen which dates from the 15th century almost hides the choir (used today as a parish church) from the nave.
The design of the cathedral is unusual. It sits on a slope which runs from west to east allowing its most exceptional feature to be built; a lower church, topped by a magnificent vaulted ceiling, which takes up the area under the choir.
Today the cathedral is a living working entity and, “The city of Glasgow takes great pride in the building that is the most impressive survivor of the age which created it.”
During the year, The Society of Friends of Glasgow Cathedral organises a series of events and lectures and warmly welcomes visitors.
Let Glasgow Flourish
The modern city is immensely proud of its motto, “Let Glasgow Flourish” which was inspired by Mungo and although the cathedral is no longer at the heart of the city, without it there would have been no Glasgow.
Other notable Scottish buildings:
