Interfaith Glasgow calls for St Mungo Museum to reopen after two years

The St Mungo Museum of Religious Art and Life, located in the Cathedral Precinct, has not yet reopened after closing its doors due to the national lockdown in March 2020.

The reopening was delayed as a result of cuts authorities have made in the wake of an unprecedented drop in income due to coronavirus restrictions.

Now, Interfaith Glasgow is calling for the cultural attraction, which contains one-of-a-kind religious collections, to reopen.

Glasgow Life, which delivers cultural, sporting and learning activities on behalf of Glasgow City Council, said there are currently no plans to reopen the building.

St Mungo Museum is located in Glasgow's Cathedral Precinct. It has been closed for the past two years.

Philip Mendelsohn, chair of Interfaith Glasgow, said: “It’s disappointing that it’s still closed after two years. 

“It was announced a few days ago that the People’s Palace is reopening, and while we are delighted, we think it only highlights that St Mungo’s is still shut.”

The group fears that an upcoming consultation on a full revamp of the museum, coupled with the local elections in May, would delay its reopening by another two years. 

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Mr Mendelsohn added: “There are discussions for a revamp, and we’re very keen obviously, as long as it maintains its current focus as an interfaith museum, where all religions are presented.

“But we're told that because of delays in getting things moving with Historic Environment Scotland, who owns the Cathedral, and then the upcoming local government elections, the consultation will not start until after May.

“It’s going to take what looks like another couple of years to go through all the consultation, but why can’t it reopen in the interim?”

“I think at this point what could make a difference is some political pressure, so we're going to raise the issue in the upcoming local elections.”

Interfaith Glasgow is calling for the museum to reopen

St Mungo Museum was created in 1989, with the aim of teaching visitors about world religions and promoting cross-faith understanding among Glasgow's diverse religious population. 

When it first opened in 1993, it was the first museum of its kind and has since been hailed as a "model" for other religious museums around the world. 

A petition launched by the charity last year to lobby local politicians to reopen the museum is now nearing the 5,000 signature target. 

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A Glasgow Life spokesperson said: "St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art has been closed for the past two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued financial impact of the pandemic means this will continue to be the case.

"Meanwhile, the time is being used to progress discussions with partners in the Cathedral precinct about how to work better together to improve the visitor experience to the medieval heart of the city and the Cathedral Precinct.

"The purpose of the conversation has been to think about how to work together to make best use of the buildings and outside spaces.

"We recognise the very significant role St Mungo Museum has played in the religious life of the city and the continued importance of the role Glasgow Life Museums can play, alongside partner organisations.

"We also recognise the importance of interfaith dialogue and are committed to continuing to support this."

Interfaith Glasgow is a secular organisation promoting positive engagement between people of diverse faiths and beliefs. 

Before the pandemic, the charity made use of the museum for meetings and activities. 

The museum houses exhibits relating to a variety of religions, including a Zen garden and a sculpture showing Islamic calligraphy. 

Before it was moved to Kelvingrove Museum in 2006, it also displayed Salvador Dalí’s painting Christ of Saint John of the Cross.