St Mirin's Cathedral
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The Cathedral Church of Saint Mirin in Paisley, dedicated to Saint Mirin the patron saint of Paisley, is the mother church of the Catholic Diocese of Paisley and is the seat of the Bishop of Paisley.
The former parish church of St Mirin, it is situated in Incle Street, Paisley at the junction with Glasgow Road and was completed in 1931 close to the site of the original church of the same name which dated from 1808. The original building was the first Catholic church to be built in post-Reformation Scotland.
The present building was raised to cathedral status in 1948 following the erection of the diocese in 1947. Neo-Romanesque in style with a plain sandstone exterior and an airy arched interior, its architect was Thomas Baird. The chancel is principally of Italian marble.
Of particular interest are the pulpit by Gillespie, Kidd and Coia, with a representation of the Sermon on the Mount sculpted in relief from blond sandstone, and the Stations of the Cross which are Art Deco in style. In the apse four colourful tripartite stained glass windows depict the Twelve Apostles.
The vestibule, in the former baptistry has a stained-glass window depicting Jesus with children by Charles Baillie, whilst a shrine to Saint John Ogilvie by Norman Galbraith can be found on the south side.
The church, which is also the largest in the diocese, can accommodate around 1200 worshippers. The current administrator is the Very Reverend Monsignor Gerard Canon Brennan.
Opposite the cathedral, at the junction of Incle St with Gauze St and Glasgow Rd, stands a statue of St Mirin.
