Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Cathedral
High Kirk of Glasgow St Kentigern's Cathedral St Mungo's Cathedral
Cathair-eaglais Ghlaschu
The west front of Glasgow Cathedral, from Cathedral Square
Glasgow Cathedral Location in central Glasgow
55°51′47″N 4°14′05″W / 55.8630°N 4.2346°W / 55.8630; -4.2346
Location	Castle Street, Townhead, Glasgow G4 0QZ
Country	Scotland
Denomination	Church of Scotland
Previous denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	Official website
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	12th century
Dedication	Saint Mungo
Consecrated	1197
Past bishop(s)	Archbishop of Glasgow
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Category A listed building
Designated	15 December 1970
Style	Gothic
Specifications
Length	285 feet (87 metres)
Width	65 feet (20 metres)
Height	105 feet (32 metres)
Spire height	225 feet (68 metres)
Administration
Presbytery	Glasgow
Clergy
Minister(s)	Mark E. Johnstone
Laity
Organist/Director of music	Andrew Forbes
Listed Building – Category A
Official name	Glasgow Cathedral, 70 Cathedral Square, Glasgow
Designated	15 December 1970
Reference no.	LB32654

Glasgow Cathedral (Scottish Gaelic: Cathair-eaglais Ghlaschu) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow.^{[nb 1]} The cathedral was the seat of the Archbishop of Glasgow, and the mother church of the Archdiocese of Glasgow and the Province of Glasgow, until the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century. Glasgow Cathedral and St Magnus Cathedral in Orkney are the only medieval cathedrals in Scotland to have survived the Reformation virtually intact.^[1] The medieval Bishop's Castle stood to the west of the cathedral until 1789. Although notionally it lies within the Townhead area of the city, the Cathedral grounds and the neighboring Necropolis are considered to be their own district within the city.

The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow, whose tomb lies at the centre of the building's Lower Church. The first stone cathedral was dedicated in 1136, in the presence of David I.^[2] Fragments of this building have been found beneath the structure of the present cathedral, which was dedicated in 1197, although much of the present cathedral dates from a major rebuilding in the 13th century.^[2][1] Following its foundation in 1451, the University of Glasgow held its first classes within the cathedral's chapter house. After the Reformation, Glasgow Cathedral was internally partitioned to serve three separate congregations (Inner High, Outer High and Barony). The early 19th century saw a growing appreciation of the cathedral's medieval architecture, and by 1835 both the Outer High and Barony congregations had moved elsewhere in the city, allowing the restoration of the cathedral to something approaching its former glory.^[1]

Glasgow Cathedral has been Crown property since 1587. The entire cathedral building passed into the care of the state in 1857, and today it is the responsibility of Historic Environment Scotland.^[1] The congregation is today part of the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Glasgow.^[3]

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