The Queen's Church of the Cross

The Queen’s Church of the Cross is the only project of the church by Charles Rennie Mackintosh that has been implemented. The building is sometimes called the Mackintosh Church. It used to be the parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow.

The order for the construction of the new church came in 1896 from the Free Church of St. Matthew and was entrusted to the architect Hanimanu Kepi, who transferred the project to his talented student Charles Rennie Mackintosh. For construction, a site was chosen near Maryhill, in the developing area of Springbank. Building on it was difficult, because the church had to be located on the corner between a large warehouse and an apartment building. However, Mackintosh succeeded, and in 1899 the first service in the new church took place.

The Free Church insisted on a simple design of the new structure, so it does not have large spires and artsy design. This is a low building, in style and architecture more reminiscent of a Norman castle than a church. This style is also called modern Gothic.

The internal stained glass windows of the church are not as pompous as in other churches, but they clearly reflect the style of Mackintosh. In general, the interior of the church clearly bears traces of Gothic influences.