This photograph shows the Roman Catholic Church Pavilion at the Empire Exhibition in 1938. The architect was Jack Coia, who went on to design more than thirty Catholic church buildings.
Situated beneath the Tower on the south slope of the hill in Bellahouston Park, the pavilion included an altar, shrine and open-air oratory. Mass was celebrated daily so that visiting Catholics could carry out their normal worship. Non-Catholics were welcome to look around.
In all, five religious denominations built pavilions at the Exhibition. The others were the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science), and the Christian Brethren.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC ef606.4 (1938)
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
altars, Christian Brethren, Christian Science, Church of Christ, Scientist, Church of Scotland, churches, Empire Exhibition, exhibitions, Mass, Masses, oratories, pavilions, Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church Pavilion, Scottish Episcopal Church, shrines