Collegiate Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Anne, Glasgow facts for kids
The Collegiate Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Anne in Glasgow was a special kind of church. It was started in the mid-1500s by a man named James Houstoun. He was an important leader at Glasgow University.
This church was located on the south side of a street called Trongate. We know a lot about it from two old rulebooks written in Latin in 1549. These books tell us how the church was set up and how it got its money.
James Houstoun first planned for the church to have a leader, eight priests (called canons or prebends), and three choir singers. Later, more donations helped the church grow even bigger. The priests were supported by property in Glasgow and other towns like Dalry, Maybole, and Rutherglen.
Music and Learning at the Church
One of the eight priests had a very important job: he was the organist! He also ran the Song School. This school taught young people how to sing different kinds of church music. The Song School was right next to the church on its west side.
When the choir singers' voices changed as they got older, they would continue their education at the Grammar School.
Daily Life and Celebrations
The priests at the church wore special white robes with fur-trimmed red hoods. Their robes were washed once a year. The rulebooks also explained exactly what church services they held every day.
St Anne's Day, on July 26th, was a very big celebration. There was lots of fancy ceremony and bell ringing! After the celebration, money was given out for bread and ale. This money went to the priests, thirty poor people, eight students, and people living at the Hospital of St Nicholas. Even people with leprosy from St Ninian's Hospital got their share, but they received it safely in the churchyard.
Changes Over Time
In 1560, a big change happened in Scotland called the Reformation. This changed how people practiced religion, and the Collegiate Church's old ways came to an end.
By 1570, the church building was falling apart. It was then taken over by an important citizen named James Fleming. Later, it became a regular local church for the Church of Scotland.
In the 1600s, a tall, pointed tower called a spire was added to the church. The church building sadly burned down in 1793. A new church was built in its place, but it kept the old spire. The new church was designed by an architect named James Adam. He also designed the Royal Infirmary and the city's Assembly Rooms. One of the most famous ministers at this church was Rev Dr Thomas Chalmers.
Much later, in 1940, this church joined with another church to form St George's Tron Church. After being empty for a while, the old church building was turned into the Tron Theatre in the early 1980s.
See also
- List of Collegiate churches in Scotland
