The interior of St Aloysius' Church in Rose Street, 1955.
The church was built in 1910 to a design by Belgian architect Charles Menart. The interior marble cladding was the work of the Austrian architect Ernest Schaufelberg, and was not completed until 1927, some time after the consecration of the church.
In 2004 restoration work was carried out at St Aloysius', which has been described as "probably the most beautiful Catholic church in Glasgow." A mosaic of the Last Supper (which is over the altar) was cleaned and layers of paint and wallpaper were removed to reveal two original frescoes. Local artist Nichol Wheatley recreated four paintings of the evangelists on the dome, working from the only surviving picture of the original design.
In 1955 Partick Camera Club set out to create a photographic survey of Glasgow. As the project progressed, other camera clubs joined and each was allocated a district of the city to photograph. Glasgow Museums exhibited the photographs at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and at the People's Place, and in 1956 the exhibition was shown at the Palace of Art in Bellahouston Park. The photographs are now part of Glasgow Museums' collections.
Reference: 1005.97.226 / OG.1955.121.[192]
Reproduced with the permission of the Partick Camera Club
Keywords:
altars, churches, frescoes, Glasgow Photographic Survey 1955, interior design, marble, mosaics, restoration, Roman Catholic churches, St Aloysius' Church