Saint Charles Borromeo RC Church

St Charles RC Church was designed by Isi Metztein and Andy Macmillan for renowned Glasgow architects Gillespie, Kidd and Coia. Discover fine interior details like Stations of the Cross by Glasgow sculptor Benno Schotz and silver dove sculpture by Walter Pritchard.

The present Church was formally opened by the then Archbishop of Glasgow, most Rev. Donald Campbell on 31st January 1960. The Church had been in construction since the mid 1950s, replacing a temporary building which, with modifications and extensions, had served the parish on this site since its foundation in 1899, albeit it at right angles to the present building. Around the same time of the foundation of the Parish, Charles Rennie Mackintosh's famous St Matthew's Church was nearing completion at nearby Queen's Cross.

The present Church was designed by the renowned architects Isi Metztein and Andy Macmillan for Gillespie, Kidd and Coia. Several features of the Church are worth noting as you make your way round the building, starting with the structure, consisting of the concrete frames supporting the concrete roof and the deliberate exploitation of the shuttering board marks, interspersed with brick. A feature of St Charles RC Church is the magnificent set of 14 stations of the Cross, made of terracotta by Glasgow sculptor Benno Schotz. Individual pieces total 72.

Seldom, if ever, can such a range of Schotz's work be viewed in their original setting, and in such quantity, since he was also responsible for the bronze crucifixion scene behind the tabermacle, the suspended sanctuary lamp to the right of the altar and the sacrificial lamp on the main altar. The last feature draws the story of Abraham and Isaac, combining the theme of the lamb caught in the thicket with that of Christ, the Lamb of God.

Side entrance is provided from Kelvinside Gardens, entered by a flight of steps under an 80 foot tree standing tower. A striking cross, featuring a dove, the sun and the moon, crowns the tower, designed by Andy Macmillan.