St Aloysius Church, Glasgow

St Aloysius Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in the Garnethill area of Glasgow in Scotland. It is the only church in Glasgow to be run by the Society of Jesus. It is situated on the corner of Hill Street and Rose Street and is next door to St Aloysius' College, Glasgow, having a close relationship with the school. When it was built, it was the only Catholic church in Glasgow to have a tower. It is modelled on Namur Cathedral in Belgium and is a Category A listed building.HistoryFoundingThe Jesuits arrived in Glasgow in 1859 by taking over the parish of St Joseph's Church, North Woodside Road. In the early 1860s they purchased land in the Garnethill district, which, at that time, was on the western outskirts of the city and a residential area recently favoured by the wealthier classes.In 1868, Fr William Kay SJ arrived at Garnethill with instructions to found a mission at St Aloysius which would be distinct from St Joseph’s. He quickly set about constructing a large building on Hill Street. This building was made of iron and glass, very similar to Glasgow Queen Street station, was known as 'Fr Kay’s Railway Shed'. This building served as the parish church for the next forty years.