St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life & Art

Displays occupy three floors and are divided into four exhibition areas: the Gallery of Religious Art, the Gallery of Religious Life, the Scottish Gallery and a temporary exhibition space. In the Gallery of Religious Art you can marvel at the world famous painting Christ of St John of The Cross by Salvador Dali and reflect on the awesome figure of the Hindu god Shiva, Lord of the Dance. The gallery is illuminated with a wealth of colours by beautiful stained glass windows depicting Christian saints and prophets. The Gallery of Religious Life explores the world's six main religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. In this gallery you can listen to people of all religions talk about their faith and meet the Mexican Day of the Dead skeleton, celebrating the victory of life over death. The Scottish Gallery presents the fascinating story of how religion has shaped the culture and beliefs of people in the West of Scotland from earliest times to the present. You can admire the beautiful Sharing of Faiths Banner, celebrating the multi-faith city of Glasgow today. Beside the museum you can contemplate in Britain’s first permanent Zen garden, a masterpiece of simplicity, symbolising the harmony between people and nature. St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art is situated near Glasgow's magnificent Gothic cathedral and opposite Provand's Lordship, the oldest house in the city. From the museum you can enjoy unrivalled views over both the cathedral and the Necropolis, the dramatic nineteenth-century graveyard on the hill behind. The Zen Garden, Britain’s first permanent Japanese Zen Garden was created by Yasuataro Tanaka in the spring of 1993. Zen is a Buddhist method of contemplation and is part of the tradition of Dyana (Chinese Ch’an, Japanese Zen) which depends on the simple life and a rejection of worldly pleasures and a return to nature. The stones, gravel and grass represent - in miniature - mountains, water and land and are meant to inspire contemplation. The layout of the garden derives from the unbroken tradition studied by Mr Tanaka in Kyoto, Japan.

Collection details

Archaeology, Costume and Textiles, Decorative and Applied Art, Design, Fine Art, Photography, Religion, Social History, World Cultures