St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
Map
LocationHigh Street, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Coordinates55°51′45″N 4°14′11″W / 55.862373°N 4.236453°W / 55.862373; -4.236453
Visitors159,157 (2019)[1]
Websitewww.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/st-mungo-museum-of-religious-life-and-art

The St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art is a museum of religion in Glasgow, Scotland. It has been described as the only public museum in the world devoted solely to this subject,[2][3] although other notable museums of this kind are the State Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg[4] and the Catharijneconvent in Utrecht.[5]

Construction and history

The museum is located in Cathedral Square, on the lands of Glasgow Cathedral at Castle Street. It was constructed in 1989[6] on the site of a medieval castle-complex, the former residence of the bishops of Glasgow, parts of which can be seen inside the Cathedral and at the People's Palace, Glasgow. The museum building emulates the Scottish Baronial architectural style[7] used for the former bishop's castle.[8]

The museum opened in 1993.[9]

Nearby are the Provand's Lordship (Glasgow's oldest house), the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and Glasgow Necropolis.

Collection

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.[10]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ "ALVA - Association of Leading Visitor Attractions". www.alva.org.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  2. ^ St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art Archived 29 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ St. Mungo Museum Archived 8 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ The State Historical Museum of Religion
  5. ^ Museum Catharijnecovent
  6. ^ St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art Archived 29 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art Archived 29 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "About St Mungo Museum". Glasgow Museums. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  9. ^ St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art Archived 29 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ St. Mungo Museum Archived 8 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art.


Museums and art galleries in Glasgow
Museums and art galleries of Scotland
Scottish art
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