Glasgow Cathedral

[Matheous]

Has anyone heard a similar story that says the Cathedral once had a well inside AND that the grounds it stands on actually belong to the Catholic church? Futhermore, there was an arrangement that if ever the well ran dry then the Church of Scotland were obliged to hand over the Cathedral to the Catholicy. Rumour has it that the well ran dry a long time ago but it always has been secretly topped up from another source !

[Ethel]

I don't know about the well, but the Cathedral was Catholic, as were all cathedrals before the Reformation, being built in 1136. It is the only cathedral on the Scottish mainland to survive the Reformation.

In 1451 Pope Nicholas V stated that a pilgrimage to Glasgow Cathedral was equal to a pilgrimage to Rome, so it was a very important place to the Roman Catholic Church.

It is longer a Cathedral in the strict sense, as it has not had a bishop since 1690.

[heathfield]

The well exists in the south-east corner of the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, located in the crypt, and is thought to have existed from before the founding of the first building in the late 6th Century. Haven't heard the 'drying up' story before, but anything's possible!

[Matheous]

Thank you ETHEL and HEATHFIELD for that information which I find fascinating.......It does appear as if my source was quite correct and in addition the pilgrimage to this 'dear green place' being equal to one to Rome is really quite astounding.

[jno]

as Ethel says, all cathedrals used to belong to the Catholic church but changed hands at the reformation; I'd be pretty amazed if the Catholic church had been allowed to retain a hole in the ground in the middle of one of them. But maybe there are obscure Scottish property laws I've never heard of.

[glesga123]

I believe the well is fed from the Molendinar Burn, (which incidentally was also the original source of water for the Tennents brewery next door.) But dont take that as Gospel,i got that info 2nd hand.

[Matheous]

glesga123 - THAT too is interesting and geographically
feasible since both are not too distant.....