The Medieval Ambience of the Glasgow Cathedral

Medieval age is described as the history that took place from the 5th to the 15th centuries in Europe. Many significant events took place during these times such as the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. In addition to that, many infrastructures like churches were built during this period with some of them still standing to this day. An example of such medieval churches is the Glasgow Cathedral. This church is also called St. Mungo’s or St. Kentigern’s Cathedral as well as High Kirk of Glasgow. This is the current place of worship for worship for Catholics of Scotland.

The title cathedral is historic and honorific. In fact, this title dates back from the period prior to the famous Scottish Reformation. This church was given the status as the mother church of the Glasgow Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic and the Cathedral of the Glasgow Archbishop. The current congregation of the church is included in the Presbytery of Glasgow of the Church of Scotland. Glasgow Cathedral can be found at the eastern side of the Cathedral Street that is beside the hospital known as the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and at the northern part of High Street.

The cathedral’s history is connected with that of Glasgow City. It is supposedly situated where Saint Mungo (patron saint of Glasgow) built his church. The tomb of St. Mungo is located in the lower crypt of the cathedral. This cathedral was built before the Scottish Reformation during the latter part of the 12th century and it serves as the seat of the Bishop as well as the Archbishop of the city. This cathedral is an excellent illustration of the Scottish Gothic style of architecture. In addition, this is one of the few Scottish churches of medieval origin that was able to survive the Reformation movement and is not unroofed. This is the only cathedral in Scotland that was built during the medieval times.

The first stone that was used to build the Glasgow Cathedral was devoted in the attendance of their monarch, King David I in 1136. In 1197, the church building that can be seen today was consecrated. Since that period, the Cathedral has been safe and never been subjected to unroofing. For more than 8 centuries, Roman Catholics have been worshiping God within the cathedral’s walls.

The superb accomplishments of the builders and architects of the church are still present and can be admired or studied by the public. Nevertheless, not all things you see in the cathedral are old because it underwent several modifications, but still, the cathedral is the house for one of the premium post-war collections of stained glass windows that you can see in Britain.

In the same vein, medieval crossbows are something worth seeing in the United Kingdom. All kinds of storage of crossbows can be viewed on display and it is amazing how many people are still avid fans of this ancient art. Great cases for crossbows have been fashioned out of wood, metal and glass elaborately decorated.  You must make it a point to visit a museum when you get the chance.

The Glasgow Cathedral is one of the crown properties of the country and great care is given to it by the authorities. As a visitor in Glasgow or Scotland in general, you will not leave the city without having to visit this magnificent medieval church.

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The Historic Cathedral that Is No Longer a Cathedral

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Glasgow Cathedral is said to be the location where Saint Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow, built his church. Saint Mungo’s remains are found in the lower crypt of the Cathedral and is one of the main reasons why tourists visit the place. Today, this landmark is one of the structures tightly associated with Glasgow. It is a perfect example of Scottish Gothic architecture and serves as a good representation of the architectural heritage of Glasgow.

“Survivor” Church

The Cathedral was constructed before the Reformation and became the seat of the Archbishop of Glasgow. It’s interesting to note that Glasgow Cathedral is one of the few Scottish medieval churches that have not succumbed to the destruction brought about by the Reformation. It has not been unroofed and is notably the only medieval cathedral found along the Scottish mainland. The Cathedral was witness to the battles of Glasgow in 1544 and 1560.

This Scottish church actually wouldn’t have remained intact had there been no intervention from the local government. Around two decades after the last battle in Glasgow, the town council agreed to undertake repairs on the cathedral. The repairs were mostly funded by the money left by Archbishop Gavin Dunbar. It’s worth mentioning too that the rood screen in the cathedral has also managed to survive as it is rather rare for it to remain intact in Scottish churches.

Cathedral or Not?

Glasgow Cathedral, technically, is no longer a cathedral since it has already ceased becoming the seat of a bishop since 1690. Still, this church remains to be an active place for Christian worship just like many other pre-Reformation cathedrals in Scotland. It has even hosted the Church of Scotland congregation. The cathedral part of its name remains acceptable under a looser definition of the term, being a large and important church. Glasgow Cathedral, for some, may no longer be prominently associated with worship activities. Instead, it is more widely known as a tourist destination.

At present, Glasgow Cathedral is led by Rev Laurence A.B. Whitley, who has assumed the position since February 2007. He took over the position left by Rev William Morris, who retired in November 2005. The building of the Cathedral is owned by the Crown but is maintained by Historic Scotland.

The church maintains a website that looks not that outdated but also not that attention-grabbing. For a place regarded as a tourist destination, its website has not been transformed into something flashy and attractive. The important details are there but for the most part, the website has remained typical of how a church website would look like. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with it. Just don’t mind it looking so typical or comparable to this site for those who want to buy hcg injections online. Well, the site is not ad-filled but it appears generic for church websites, just like how the generic pages of hcg pills or  hcg pellets are designed.

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Sister Jane and the Bicycle Boy

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Did you know that the Glasgow Cathedral used to lie on a popular delivery route in the 1920’s? In fact, most workers knew that if they stopped in for a visit to the Glasgow Cathedral that they could be entitled to a boiling cup of soup and on lucky days a cup of coffee.  Drivers from all around knew that if they passed through Glasgow, they could stop at the Cathedral for a nice break from the long and winding road.

Eventually, one of the local newspaper delivery boys from Glasgow that got around on his bicycle decided that he too should be able to stop in for some food.  Although his deliveries were in no way the sizable journeys that the drivers made, he felt that as long as he was delivering papers in the Glasgow area that he could receive his free cup of soup.

At first, he was laughed at by the other men, who had felt they earned their soup by driving miles and miles to reach Glasgow.  This little boy, whom no one is sure the name of, stood his ground and eventually was given his soup.  One of the Cathedral’s nuns, Sister Jane, took pity on the boy and told the other men to hush because as long as he was an employed delivery boy, he was allowed to partake in the festivities with the other delivery drivers.

When Sister Jane took this boy under her wing, he never forgot it.  For the eight months he was a delivery boy, she served his soup, spoke to him and gave him tons of wisdom.  When the boy had to give up his job, he wanted to give Sister Jane a gift fit to thank her for her kindness.  All he could afford to give her were the head lights from his bicycle (this was back in the days before kids worried about wearing stylish helmets).  And that is exactly what he did.

Apparently this boy told his replacement about Glasgow Cathedral’s soup and Sister Jane’s kindness.  This next boy continued to stop in for soup, just as his counterpart did and eventually he also wound up leaving Sister Jane his bicycle head lights when he moved on from delivering newspapers.

Twelve years later, the Cathedral could no longer afford to feed the deliverymen their soup and coffee.  Word spread that having the Glasgow Cathedral on route was no longer a special treat.  Regardless, Sister Jane had a mighty collection as the twenty four newspaper delivery boys who held the position during those twelve years had left Sister Jane their own bicycle lights.  It was a special tradition that the boys had continued.

Sister Jane passed away after forty seven years of loyal service to the Glasgow Cathedral.  To commemorate her wonderful soul, the Glasgow Cathedral has dedicated one of the Cathedral’s wings to her.  In that wing, visitors can view all twenty four headlights the Sister was left from all the delivery boys.  It is a very special exhibit that any visitor coming through the Cathedral would be delighted to see.  See Sister Jane’s bicycle head lights and relive the heartwarming story at Glasgow Cathedral today.

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