Glasgow Life, a charity managing the city’s museums, has reopened St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art after a two-year closure.
The museum is named after Glasgow’s patron saint, who brought the Christian faith to Scotland in the 6th century. It is home to displays, objects and works of art that explore religion in peoples’ lives across the world and throughout history.
“The venue aims to promote understanding and respect between people of different faiths and those of none and offers something for everyone,” said Glasgow Life.
The museum was on the charity’s list of venues that would not reopen due to budget cuts (via Glasgow Live). However, a petition to save the venue was launched by Interfaith Glasgow.
Petition launched to save museum
“Interfaith Glasgow is delighted that St Mungo’s Museum is reopening, as it’s such an important resource to the faith communities of Glasgow and the wider community,” said Phillip Mendelsohn, chairman of Interfaith Glasgow.
“As a city with many refugees and asylum seekers, sharing the story of the many faiths in the city is important in building community cohesion,” Mendelsohn added.
“The importance of St Mungo’s extends far beyond the city as it is one of the few museums of comparative religion in the world and is unique in the UK.”
The three-storey museum displays objects including a bronze sculpture of Shiva and a stained-glass piece of Moses, Elijah, David and Enoch.
Duncan Dornan, Glasgow Life’s head of museums and collections, said: “Since St Mungo Museum opened in 1993, we have worked with the local community to create imaginative displays, ground-breaking educational programmes, interfaith dialogue and interesting topical exhibitions.
“Together this has established the museum’s popularity and reputation as a neutral and safe space for encouraging dialogue and understanding, often of challenging topics.”
Earlier this year, Glasgow Life became the first charity in the UK to return stolen artifacts to India. All of the objects were gifted to Glasgow’s collections.
Images: Glasgow Life
