St Charles’ Kelvinside Roman Catholic Church

Envision St Charles’ Kelvinside Roman Catholic Church perched on a steep hillside. It’s a striking example of modernist architecture, designed by Andy MacMillan and Isi Metzstein of Gillespie, Kidd & Coia. St Charles’ Kelvinside Roman Catholic Church was built between 1959 and 1960. The church’s most distinctive feature is its faceted concrete roof. Inside St Charles’ Kelvinside Roman Catholic Church, you’ll find remarkable sculptures by Benno Schotz. These include a bronze altar frontal, a crucifix, a lampholder, and twelve terracotta Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross are particularly interesting. They feature depictions of parishioners and friends of Schotz, adding a personal touch to the artwork. A separate concrete tower serves as the spire. It stands to the north of St Charles’ Kelvinside Roman Catholic Church, next to a large red sandstone presbytery. The church is open for services and visitors. Mass is held on Sundays at midday, and daily services are held Monday to Friday at 10 am. You can also visit St Charles’ Kelvinside Roman Catholic Church from 9:00 to 10:30 am, Monday to Saturday. The original plans for the church were created by Jack Coia, the firm’s founder, but further developed by MacMillan. The Stations of the Cross are not just religious art, but also a community portrait. Schotz used his own wife, family, and members of his synagogue as models for the figures. Even Coia and the church’s parish priest, Canon Vincent O’Sullivan, are depicted. The sanctuary lamp, designed by Schotz, hangs suspended from a bronze angel. The crucifix also includes figures of Mary and St. John alongside Jesus. Constructing St Charles’ Kelvinside Roman Catholic Church was a two-stage process. The entrance of the nave was built first. Then, the older wooden church on the site was demolished to make way for the sanctuary end. During construction, 97 piles were driven into the ground, some as deep as 53 feet, to ensure the stability of the building on the challenging hillside terrain.