The Roman Catholic Church of St Casimir is a

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

n church located in Bethnal Green, London, E2 9DT.

History

The mission was founded in 1901, with a church on the corner of Christian Street and Cable Street. Fr Boleslas Szlamas had his quarters at 197 Whitechapel Road. The present church dates from ten years later, during the rectorate of Fr Casimir G. Matulaitis. It was opened by

Cardinal Bourne Francis Alphonsus Bourne (1861–1935) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the fourth Archbishop of Westminster from 1903 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1911. Biography Early life Francis Bo ...

on 10 March 1912. The Mass on this occasion was said by Fr

Benedict Williamson Benedict Williamson (1868–1948) was an architect who designed many Romanesque Revival churches in the United Kingdom who later became a Roman Catholic priest. Early life He was born in 1868 as William Edward Williamson in London. He studied ...

, who was the architect of the church. For the

Lithuanians Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Uni ...

, Williamson designed a building of London stock brick.

Architecture

Beyond a south-east porch, the layout of the church is easily read, with nave, aisles and chancel all within three

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

s. There are no aisle windows, but circular windows appear in the north wall and throughout

clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...

. The interior is dominated by the huge, cheerful, brightly painted altarpiece depicting the Coronation of Our Lady carved in wood. It is said, though it is much disputed, that it was shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 as an example of Tyrolean craftsmanship and was, at one time, destined for Westminster Cathedral.A Glimpse of Heaven: Catholic Churches of England and Wales by Christopher Martin, 2006, Our Lady is attended by angels in various attitudes in piety and prayer. A golden, winged crown hovers above Her head. The seated figures of Christ and

God the Father God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, God the Son Jesus Christ, and the third person, God t ...

look on from above and behind Her. The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove sheds rays of light out towards cherubim who are half concealed in the clouds that form the background of the whole tableau. Father Williamson's taste is less evident in other parts of the church. The statue of

St. Casimir Casimir Jagiellon ( la, Casimirus; lt, Kazimieras; pl, Kazimierz; 3 October 1458 – 4 March 1484) was a prince of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Second son of King Casimir IV Jagiellon, he was tutored by Johannes ...

located to the right of the altar is a piece of fine art made in Lithuania from Ancaster limestone by famous Lithuanian sculptor Antanas Žukauskas in 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bethnal Green, Saint Casimir Roman Catholic churches in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster

Saint Casimir Casimir Jagiellon ( la, Casimirus; lt, Kazimieras; pl, Kazimierz; 3 October 1458 – 4 March 1484) was a prince of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Second son of King Casimir IV Jagiellon, he was tutored by Johannes ...

Roman Catholic churches completed in 1911 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Lithuanian diaspora in Europe Lithuania–United Kingdom relations