The Glasgow Cathedral

With a population of about 600000, Glasgow is the Scotland's largest city. It is believed the city was originally founded by Saint Kentigern commonly known as St. Mungo who was a missionary in Scotland. Burrell Collection, Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), CCA (Centre for Contemporary Arts), Glasgow Science Centre and Museum of Transport are some the places on the list of must-see in Glasgow but the one that should not be missed is the Glasgow Cathedral.

Right next to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and across from the University of Stratchclyde, Located on Castle Street, the Glasgow Cathedral catches every passing eye. It was built on the place of an old church which the later was built by St. Mungo in 1136. Nowadays it is used for performing weekly and annually religious services.

The Cathedral is equipped with a famous bell, placed at its tower. The bell was made in 1594 in Holland and brought to Glasgow by A Glaswegian merchant called Marcus Knox. In 1789, as the result of an unfortunate incident, the bell was damaged and had to be taken down and sent to London for a repair. A poem is engraved on the outside of the bell telling the story of the bell from the beginning to its returning to the tower.

Out of the Cathedral yard and on the other side of John Knox Street, there is a beautiful garden called Peace Garden Mosaic. The garden was completed in 1992 to celebrate the idea of world peace. Right at the centre of the garden a mosaic is placed with the message "Let Peace Flourish". Being located in Glasgow, one surprising feature of the garden is having numerous benches to seat and relax.

Inside the Peace Garden Mosaic, there is a statue of King William III. Also known as Prince of Orange, he was the king of the island from 1689 until his death 1702.

As part of St Nicholas's Hospital, Provand's Lordship was built by Andrew Muirhead in 1471. It is believed to be the oldest house in Glasgow. The house is furnished with a collection of 17th century Scottish furniture donated by Sir William Burrell.

The University of Strathclyde is located within the walking distance of the Cathedral. It is the largest university of Scotland with 168000 students in 2008. The university is located right in the centre of Glasgow with easy access to Glasgow's famous shopping centres. The foundation of the university began in 1796 with a simple but most honourable intention, to be an education place open to everyone. The actual "university" status was given to it in 1964 and after the merge with Glasgow College of Commerce.

The Glasgow Cathedral attracts thousands of tourists each year. Some other attractions within or very near to the cathedral that hasn't been mentioned here but are equally important are The Glasgow Necropolis, John Knox Memorial, Glasgow Evangelical Church, The Lady Well, People's Palace, Winter Gardens and Martyrs School. So remember to put the Glasgow Cathedral at the top of your list when planning to visit Glasgow.