Sunday Angel

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Photography, Sunday angel

St Mungo

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Photography, Saints, The UK

St Mungo

St Mungo is the patron saint of Glasgow, and appears on Glasgow’s coat of arms along with the bird that never flew, the fish that never swam, the bell that never rang and the tree that never grew.  These four items attributed to tales of Mungo.

Mungo was raised by St Serf who gave him the name Mungo meaning dear one, he is also known as Kentigern.  Serf had a pet robin which was killed by some of Mungo’s jealous classmates, Mungo is said to have brought it back to life, hence the bird.  The tree also has a connection with St Serf.  Mungo was supposed to be keeping the fire going in the monastery one night and fell asleep allowing the fire to go out.  It is said that Mungo put branches from a tree on the fire and it relit.  The bell represents one that Mungo brought to Glasgow from Rome and was rung at funerals to call together the mourners.  It is said that it couldn’t be found when Mungo died because God didn’t want the people of Glasgow to mourn Mungo’s death but rather to rejoice in his passage into heaven.  A bell, known as St Mungo’s bell, continued to be rung to mark deaths as late as 1578, however this one also appears to have dissapeared as the City Council commissioned a new St Mungo’s bell on 22nd October 1640 and it is this one that is still in Glasgow’s People’s Palace.

The story of the fish is probably the most well-known.  Queen Languoreth of Strathclyde had given a ring that her husband gave her to her lover.  King Riderch had seen the ring on her lovers finger and taken it from him and thrown it into the river Clyde before going back to confront his wife.  Queen Languoreth was distraught knowing that she would face certain death if she couldn’t produce the ring, and her distress grew when she discovered what had happened to it, she went to Mungo to plead for his help.  What kind of help she went to plead for I do not know, but surely she didn’t expect what followed.  Mungo pulled a salmon out of the Clyde and in its mouth was the ring.

You can see Glasgow’s coat of arms here, the motto at the foot has been abbreviated, the full version is – Lord, let Glasgow flourish through the preaching of the word and the praising of your name.

A Visitor

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Glasgow

During the past week we have had a visitor, fortunately Hubby was able to take some time off work, so while I got on with watering this corner of the vineyard, he entertained.

However I did manage to join them for a trip to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery on Tuesday, a place you really should visit if ever coming to Glasgow.  Inside there are many well-known works of art and famous artists – along with some frankly awful ones – work on display, the good ones by far outweigh the not so good.  However for me one of the most wonderful things there are the door handles, what a splendid way to greet any visitor.

Glasgow Science Centre

Friday saw a trip to the Glasgow Science Centre, including a trip up the Glasgow Tower.  The Science Centre is a great place full of hands on experiments, Hubby was in his element, that was until a girl of about 4 came up to him as he was busy playing with a blower and told him in no uncertain terms that it was her turn.  Her father was full of apologies; I was just trying not to laugh.  We also enjoyed the joys of the planetarium which is situated inside.

The Glasgow Tower is an incredible structure.  Here goes with the facts: at 127m high it is the tallest freestanding building in Scotland, it weights 500 tonnes rests on one 65cm bearing and if there was a crane tall enough and strong enough it could be lifted clean away without any damage to the Tower or the footings.  The Glasgow Tower is the only building in the world that is capable of rotating 360 degrees, it is the whole tower that rotates, not just a part of it.  This means that the building can be turned into the wind and can be very slender structure.  As for the views, well despite the rain we could still see all of Glasgow and beyond – the first picture is to the west, the second to the east including the nearby Millennium Arch, or the Squinty Bridge as it is known locally, which is currently being repaired with the third being to the north, the pictures to the south didn’t come out due to rain on the window they were being taken through.

If you are planning a trip to Glasgow I would strongly recommend you visit the Glasgow Tower, especially if it is a clear day.  If you are bringing children to Glasgow and it is a rainy day then it is a fantastic way to spend some time.