Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Cathedral, also known as St Mungo's Cathedral or the High Kirk of Glasgow, is the oldest building in the city and one of the finest examples of Scottish Gothic architecture to survive the Reformation intact. Standing at the top of Castle Street near the Royal Infirmary, the present church dates largely from the 13th to 15th centuries and was built over the tomb of St Kentigern, known as Mungo, the 6th-century missionary who founded the religious community from which Glasgow grew.

The cathedral's most remarkable feature is its lower church, a vaulted crypt of exceptional beauty that contains St Mungo's tomb and a forest of slender pillars and pointed arches. Above, the nave and quire are separated by a rare surviving stone pulpitum, or screen, decorated with sculpted figures. The post-war stained glass, commissioned from leading 20th-century artists, fills the building with rich colour and is considered one of the best modern glazing schemes in Britain.

Set beside the atmospheric Necropolis on its hill behind, and the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art across the precinct, the cathedral anchors Glasgow's medieval quarter. Entry is free, and the building remains an active parish church of the Church of Scotland.