St Mary's Cathedral

St Marys congregation can be traced back to the ancient St Mungos Cathedral in the turbulent period before the Church of Scotlands episcopalian structure was dismantled in 1689. Both before and after this change, public worship according to episcopalian traditions caused rioting in the city. However, Glasgows Episcopalians continued to meet in private houses or in a succession of meeting houses throughout the 18th century, surviving the rigours of the Penal Laws enacted after the 1745 Rising; throughout this period they remained ardent Jacobites.
After the repeal of the Penal Laws in 1792, the congregation expanded, and for many years services took place in a classroom in the Grammar School. In 1825 St Mary’s Episcopal Chapel opened in Renfield Street to accommodate the growing congregation. 

Sir George Gilbert Scott, already working as architect for the University and one of the foremost architects in Britain, was commissioned to design a new church in Great Western Road. The result is one of the city’s best Gothic Revival buildings, constructed by the finest craftsmen available. Most of the stained glass was designed by the studios of Hardman, and Clayton & Bell.

The church was opened for worship in 1871 and St Marys was consecrated in 1884. Nine years later, the imposing spire, added to the original square tower, was finally completed to the design of Scott’s son. A detailed description of the church shortly after it opened can be found in James Gordons Glasghu Facies. During the 1880s and 1890s five new mission churches were established from St Marys, and its status and influence were recognised in 1908 when it was made the Cathedral for the Scottish Episcopal Church Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway. Since that time the major architectural change has been the refitting of the chancel.