Glasgow Cathedral

Overview

Glasgow Cathedral is built on the site where St. Mungo, patron saint of Glasgow, was thought to have been buried in AD 612, and there is a shrine to the Saint in the lower church.

The present cathedral was built during the 13th to 15th centuries and is the only medieval cathedral on the Scottish mainland to have survived the 1560 Reformation without major damage.

Glasgow Cathedral has beautifully detailed stonework, but the ornamentation is quite modest when compared to Roman Catholic cathedrals. The attraction of the cathedral is the exploration of small chapels to the sides of the main chamber, and the dark vaulted chambers of the lower church, which is the most interesting part of the Cathedral. The cathedral would benefit from more information boards, but there are displays in the lower church that explain the history of the building.