Glasgow Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral is the oldest building in the city dating back to the 12th Century. It is one of the most magnificent examples of medieval architecture you will find in Scotland and is the only Cathedral on mainland Scotland to survive the reformation.
The Cathedral grounds have been hallowed grounds for over 1500 since it was blessed for the burial in 397 of St Ninian. The original Cathedral was built in 1136 during the reign of David I but it was badly burned in 1197 and rebuilt as a ‘Kentigern’ housing the 6th Century relics of St Mungo. These evocative catacombs are still accessible today and are the site of a famous medieval pilgrimage.
The noble sandstone building with its elaborate early Gothic architecture that stands now was mostly built from the late 13th Century up to the 15th Century. The stunning Scottish Oak roofing is embossed with fine carvings dating back to the 13th Century. Other features date from later times such as the stained glass windows of Munich Glass fitted in the 1850s, however some is much later such as Francis Spear’s work of the Creation in the western window from 1958.
The area behind the cathedral on the ‘Drumlines’, the hillocks overlooking the city, is the Necropolis housing the crumbling tombs of the great and the good from Glasgow .
The Cathedral today is regarded as the People’s Palace and it is the most important ecumenical building in Scotland holding many civic and religious occasions. Guided tours are immensely knowledgeable underlining the pride with which many Glaswegians hold in their Cathedral and its place in Scotland’s heritage.
