Gallery of Religious Life
A journey from birth to death across six faiths, with Qur'ans, prayer rugs and objects from Glasgow's own Muslim community.
In a city famous for shipyards, football and rain, a few steps from its cathedral stands one of very few museums of its kind in the world, and the only one in the British Isles: an entire building devoted to setting the world's major religions side by side, rather than championing one of them. Opened in 1993 and named after St Mungo, Glasgow's patron saint, who lies in the crypt of the cathedral next door, it displays prayer rugs, Arabic calligraphy and handwritten Qur'ans with exactly the same care given to Christian icons, Buddhas and a dancing Shiva. For a Muslim visitor in Europe, that alone is a rare sight. There are three main galleries: the Gallery of Religious Art, the Gallery of Religious Life, which follows a human life from birth to death across six faiths, and a smaller room on religion in Scotland that tells the story of the first Muslims to settle in Glasgow and includes objects from the city's mosques today. An honest caveat: the museum is compact, several displays wear their 1990s origins plainly, and an hour is genuinely enough. And do not come looking for Dalí's celebrated 'Christ of St John of the Cross': it hung here until 2006 and now lives at Kelvingrove. The building is modern but styled after the medieval Bishop's Castle that once occupied this spot, and the upper-floor windows frame the cathedral like a painting. Behind it lies a small Japanese Zen garden by Yasutaro Tanaka, laid out in 1993 and the first permanent one in Britain; pleasant for five quiet minutes, but smaller than the photographs suggest. There is no proper café at present, only a Historic Scotland shop selling gifts and grab-and-go drinks and snacks. It works well for families: entry is free with no booking, lifts reach every floor so pushchairs are no trouble, and there is baby changing. The sensible plan is to fold it into one visit with the cathedral, the dramatic Necropolis on the hill above and Provand's Lordship, the city's oldest house, directly opposite. High Street station is about ten minutes on foot, George Square around twenty. In winter it makes an excellent refuge from the rain, especially since darkness falls before four.
A journey from birth to death across six faiths, with Qur'ans, prayer rugs and objects from Glasgow's own Muslim community.
Britain's first permanent Zen garden (1993), small but calm, tucked directly behind the building.
From the upper floor Glasgow Cathedral sits framed like a painting, and it is the best photograph you will take here.
Castle Street, beside Glasgow Cathedral, G4 0RH
With only one day, Kelvingrove first, no question: it is bigger, richer and has the Dalí. But if you are already heading to the Cathedral and the Necropolis, give this an hour: it is free, and the Islamic material and the story of Glasgow's Muslims alone justify half of it.
Reasonably so: free, with lifts for pushchairs, baby changing and occasional family activities. But it is a museum of objects and reading rather than a hands-on one, so children under seven will fade after half an hour.