An ancient well, buried in the sacred crypt of a historic Glasgow church, has been excavated and transformed into a major art project, seen by the public for the first time in living memory.

The well has been hidden for centuries in the crypt of Glasgow Cathedral.

In October it was uncovered under the lead of archaeologist Prof Stephen Driscoll from the University of Glasgow.

It has now been enhanced by a stunning light mosaic and will be the focus of a series of concerts and events to celebrate 850 years of the city of Glasgow.

Long before Glasgow became a city, the site of the well marked a place of deep spiritual significance.

It is believed to be where St Kentigern, also known as Mungo, established his cell and performed baptisms in the waters of the Molendinar Burn below.

The natural well was later incorporated into the walls of Glasgow Cathedral, forming the heart of the Kentigern Shrine in the crypt.

Over the centuries, this sacred site grew in prominence, becoming one of Britain’s major pilgrimage destinations for more than 300 years.

The well not only predates Christianity as a sacred site, but also symbolically and literally marks the starting point of what would become the city of Glasgow.

The mosaic installation, simply called The Well, has been brought to life by the Aproxima Creative Collective team, including Scottish artist Joanna Kessel.

It is made of more than 1,000 handblown coloured glass tiles, each inlaid with gold leaf, echoing the colours of the cathedral’s stained-glass windows.

She explained how the tiles, made at the Orsoni Venezia 1888 furnace in Italy, were actually used back-to-front to give the colours she wanted.

“I had a lot of these glass plates in my studio and this blue-green is actually the back, the reverse of the gold leaf plates.

“So I thought, well I’ll just ask Orsoni to supply us with a range so that we could get this transition from light down to dark at the bottom of the well.

“When I spoke to them they were like, oh Joanna, these are the backs. We don’t produce this specifically so the front is what they’re working to create and the back in some ways is incidental.”

Joanna went over to Venice to sift through crates and crates of the gold leaf mosaic to find the right colours.

Creative director Angus Farquhar said the well was a powerful but neglected part of Glasgow’s story.

“I saw that little well in the corner with no signage and it had just been forgotten and I thought wouldn’t it be incredible to bring this back as a gift for the people of Glasgow,” he said.

He said that in the past wells had been associated with poisoning and illness and many of the public wells in Glasgow were capped and then forgotten.

So excavation of the well was a significant moment.

He said: “It had not been touched for 70 years and we found coins from all over the world rings, thimbles, tiny pieces of shell with people’s names written on them and we realised that it had still been used as a little point of blessing even though there was no signage there and it was dark.

“That idea that we could bring it back became really exciting and just two weeks ago with the support of Historic Environment Scotland we drained out the last of the water and cleaned the bottom of the well where we’d done the excavation and for the first time probably in one or two centuries the water ran clear again.

“Apart from seeing the mosaic that was my happiest moment in this project, because it felt like we’d brought back something pure.”

The re-dedication of the well will be celebrated with musical concerts next weekend.

Audiences can also pre-book a timed slot to visit the well and view the new mosaic in the crypt.

The project is one of the many events organised in 2025 to celebrate Glasgow’s 850th birthday.

The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Jacqueline McLaren said: “This remarkable project not only honours our past but also breathes new life into a site of profound significance in our city’s story, blending archaeology, contemporary art, and music in a celebration for all Glaswegians and visitors alike.

“The project will serve as a lasting legacy from Glasgow 850 and one that can also inspire our future.”