This is a relatively small blog, as we visited Glasgow Cathedral at the end of the day, after a full programme of sightseeing. We had a relaxing wander around, as opposed to intricate nosey-parkering!
😀
It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and was dedicated in 1197. Fragments of a previous stone cathedral, dedicated in 1136, in the presence of David I- King of Scotland from 1124-1153- exist on this spot. That building was destroyed or seriously damaged by fire.
The only older cathedral in Scotland is St Magnus Cathedral, which opened in 1137 and sits on Orkney- an archipelago off the north-east coast of Scotland.
The tower is 225 feet (68 metres) in height and currently covered in scaffolding, as essential repairs take place.
Following its initial 1136 dedication, the cathedral took around 350 years to complete. It survived the Protestant Reformation of 1560 virtually intact, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow and is very much a working cathedral.
We took a moment to sit and rest in the grounds.
The cathedral is dedicated to St Mungo (Mungo is his sobriquet- his real name was Kentigern), the patron saint of Glasgow, and was built over his burial place. It's a sacred location which explains the cathedral's unusual hillside site.
Entering and heading down the aisle, looking east...
The Choir...
The Choir from an angle...
This Great East Window is called The Four Evangelists, and is quite modern, dating from 1951.
Downstairs is the Blacader Aisle.
I know I'm naughty, and I'm sure the pronunciation is different, but it made me think of Edmund Blackadder!
The description tells how this crypt- or aisle- was built during the episcopacy of Archbishop Blacader (1483-1508).
It was part of a building scheme- never completed- where a transept was contemplated.
The Blacader Aisle may mark the site of where St Mungo brought the body of a holy man, Fergus, for burial.
The ceiling's carved bosses showcase the designs and skills of medieval craftsmen.
After the Reformation this aisle was the usual burial place for Ministers of the Cathedral.
Entering the crypt...
The first glance of the tomb of St Kentigern -or St Mungo. It is just behind the pillar.
St Mungo was born in 518 AD and died 13th January 614.
St Mungo was the son of Tenue, a legendary Christian princess and saint. She became pregnant after being raped by Owain mab Urien (although other accounts mention that she had a consensual affair with him). Her enraged father had her thrown from a hill called Trapain Law, but she survived. She was then abandoned in a small lightweight boat called a coracle but drifted across the Firth of Forth to Fife. There Mungo was born.
View from the other side, and Mungo was raised by Saint Serf, who was ministering to the Picts at the time, and who gave him his pet name, which means "very dear one." Mungo began his missionary work at the age of twenty-five, becoming the founder of the city of Glasgow.
Written info about the man, and Saint Teneu was Scotland's first recorded rape victim, battered woman and unmarried mother. In the city there is St Enoch's Square (Enoch being a corruption of Teneu) which is said to have had a chapel dedicated to her on its site. The chapel is said to have been built on or near her grave.
According to the flag, this appears to be the meeting room of the British Legion Scotland.
Other graves, and the cathedral is considered to be a Gothic creation. Indeed, I did see one goth filming in the crypt!
Looking at this effigy from this angle give it a precariously-balanced kind of feel- I'm sure it's not going anywhere, though!
Lower graves, and from 1857 the entire building has been looked after by the State.
There were windows of varying sizes and ages in the cathedral, and I liked this simple stained glass depiction of Jesus Christ.
Exiting down the Nave, looking west.
The magnificent Great West Window "The Creation" dates from 1958 and depicts Adam and Eve.
Glasgow Cathedral, I will return for a proper look around one day.
Until then,
TTFN
Miss Elaineous
XXXXXXX
XXX
X
XXX
X
No comments:
Post a Comment