St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
Encyclopedia
The St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art is a museum of religion
in Glasgow
, Scotland
. It is quoted as being the only public museum in the world devoted solely to this subject, though another notable museum of this kind is the State Historical Museum of Religion in St.Petersburg.
The museum, which opened in 1993, is located in Cathedral Square, on the lands of Glasgow Cathedral
off High Street. The museum was constructed near site of the medieval castle complex of the Archbishops of the diocese of Glasgow, parts of which can be seen inside the Cathedral and at the Peoples Palace Museum, at Glasgow Green. The museum was built in an ersatz-medieval style to blend in with the nearby Provands Lordship House.
The museum houses exhibits relating to all the world's major religions, including a Zen garden and a sculpture showing Islamic calligraphy
. It housed Salvador Dalí
’s painting Christ of Saint John of the Cross
from its opening in 1993 until the reopening of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
in 2006.
Nearby are the Provand’s Lordship
, Glasgow’s oldest house, the Glasgow Royal Infirmary
, and the Glasgow Necropolis
.
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is quoted as being the only public museum in the world devoted solely to this subject, though another notable museum of this kind is the State Historical Museum of Religion in St.Petersburg.
The museum, which opened in 1993, is located in Cathedral Square, on the lands of Glasgow Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral
The church commonly known as Glasgow Cathedral is the Church of Scotland High Kirk of Glasgow otherwise known as St. Mungo's Cathedral.The other cathedrals in Glasgow are:* The Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew...
off High Street. The museum was constructed near site of the medieval castle complex of the Archbishops of the diocese of Glasgow, parts of which can be seen inside the Cathedral and at the Peoples Palace Museum, at Glasgow Green. The museum was built in an ersatz-medieval style to blend in with the nearby Provands Lordship House.
The museum houses exhibits relating to all the world's major religions, including a Zen garden and a sculpture showing Islamic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy, colloquially known as Perso-Arabic calligraphy, is the artistic practice of handwriting, or calligraphy, and by extension, of bookmaking, in the lands sharing a common Islamic cultural heritage. This art form is based on the Arabic script, which for a long time was used by all...
. It housed Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
’s painting Christ of Saint John of the Cross
Christ of Saint John of the Cross
Christ of Saint John of the Cross is a painting by Salvador Dalí made in 1951. It depicts Jesus Christ on the cross in a darkened sky floating over a body of water complete with a boat and fishermen...
from its opening in 1993 until the reopening of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. The building houses one of Europe's great civic art collections...
in 2006.
Nearby are the Provand’s Lordship
Provand's Lordship
The Provand's Lordship located in Glasgow, Scotland, today stands as a medieval-period historic house museum located at the top of Castle Street in the shadow of the Glasgow Cathedral and Glasgow Royal Infirmary....
, Glasgow’s oldest house, the Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
The Glasgow Royal Infirmary is a large teaching hospital, operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,. With a capacity of around 1000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around 20 acres, situated on the north-eastern edge of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:Designed by Robert...
, and the Glasgow Necropolis
Glasgow Necropolis
The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral . Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typically for the period only a small percentage are named on monuments and not every grave has a stone...
.
External links
- Museum website
- Glasgow Cathedral Precinct—History and original drawings of the Cathedral area.