Glasgow: Calls to save St Mungo's Museum + petition

St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art

St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art, named after Glasgow's patron saint who brought Christianity to Scotland in the sixth century, closed due to lockdown last March. The venue is yet to reopen...

The only museum of its kind in the UK, St Mungo's was created with support from Glasgow's diverse religious communities to promote mutual understanding and respect between people of different faiths and none. It has grown to become a national beacon for interfaith dialogue and has attracted many internationally significant pieces of art, like Salvador Dali's Christ of Saint John of the Cross.

This may be set to change. Campaigners at Interfaith Glasgow are concerned that the museums operators, Glasgow Life, have not announced a reopening date for the museum despite opening other venues across the city. Their fears were echoed by local and international supporters of the museum at Saving St Mungo's, an online event hosted by Interfaith Glasgow to raise awareness of their campaign.

Speaking at the event, Rose Drew, CEO of Interfaith Glasgow, said: "it is imperative that Glasgow does not lose this highly respected resource nor that the nature of it be changed so much that it no longer reflects the multi-faith nature of our society and is hampered in its work to promote good interfaith and intercultural relations."

The loss of St Mungo's through closure would have an impact far beyond Glasgow. From Hannover to Taiwan, other religious museums around the world site St Mungo's as an inspiration and support for their for their museums.

Maria Habito, International Program Director of the Museum of World Religions in Taipei, was keen to stress the importance of beyond Glasgow's city boundary. "St Mungo's isn't just good for Glasgow," she said. "It's good for the world. It's part of a global ecosystem of people seeking to understand different faiths to develop mutual understanding. It is our conviction that this type of learning and facility will become ever more important in the coming years," she concluded.

Campaigners are hopeful that lessons from the museum's past may help lead the way.

"This isn't the first time Glasgow City Council has tried to close St Mungo's," said Sr Isabel Smyth, who has been involved with St Mungo's since it's establishment. "Last time it was saved by the city's faith communities. We can save it again."

Interfaith Glasgow have launched a petition to Save St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art, which you can sign here: www.change.org/p/glasgow-life-save-st-mungo-s-museum