St Aloysius Church, Glasgow
| St Aloysius Church | |
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View of church along Hill Street
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 St Aloysius Church
Location of church within Glasgow
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| Coordinates: 55°51′59″N 4°15′42″W / 55.8665°N 4.2618°W | |
| OS grid reference | NS586660 |
| Location | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | staloysius.rcglasgow.org.uk |
| History | |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Founder(s) | Fr William Kay SJ |
| Dedication | St Aloysius Gonzaga |
| Consecrated | 29 November 1953 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Functional status | Parish Church |
| Heritage designation | Category A |
| Designated | 15 December 1950 |
| Architect(s) | Charles Menart |
| Style | Baroque Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 4 October 1908 |
| Completed | 6 February 1910 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 800 |
| Length | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Width | 90 ft (27 m) |
| Nave width | 44 ft (13 m) |
| Height | 60 ft (18 m) |
| Spire height | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | West End |
| Archdiocese | Glasgow |
| Province | Glasgow |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Most Rev. Philip Tartaglia |
| Priest(s) | Fr Tim Curtis SJ |
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.
The 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.
The Sisters of Mercy came to Garnethill in 1868 at the invitation of the Jesuits and rented from them two houses in Rose Street, the area now occupied by the church. However, a shortage of staff meant that the sisters could not work at the college next door, but they were able to continue to work in the primary school next to St. Joseph's church, which was a Jesuit parish until 1931 and closed in the 1970s.
The foundation stone for the present church building was laid on 4 October 1908 and it was opened on 6 February 1910, by the Archbishop of Glasgow, John Maguire. The building is listed category A and was designed by a Belgian architect, Charles Jean Ménart in the baroque revival style. Ménart also designed St Peter's Church in Rathven. The church was unique amongst the Catholic churches of Glasgow in that it had a tower and is modelled on Namur Cathedral in Belgium and the Gesu in Rome.
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