St Joseph's Church is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. It is situated on Bugle Street, in the centre of the city, north of

Town Quay Town Quay is a quay and pier in Southampton, England. History A quay is first recorded on the site in 1411, known as Watergate Quay. This quay fell out of use in the 18th century and in 1803 was demolished and replaced with a new structure, use ...

. The church chancel was designed by

Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

and built in 1843. It was the first Catholic church founded in Southampton after the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. It was the pro-cathedral of the Diocese of Portsmouth in 1882.History of Portsmouth Diocese
from Catholic Association Pilgrimage, retrieved 13 December 2014 It is a Grade II listed building.

History

Foundation

In 1789, French Catholics fled to Southampton after the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. They worshipped in secret in a room in 13 St. Michael's Square in the city. In 1792, they opened a chapel in 67 High Street. In 1828, a presbytery was built. Two years later, St. Joseph's Church was built in the presbytery's garden.

Construction

In the early 1840s, a new St Joseph's Church had to be built to accommodate the growing congregation. In 1842,

was asked to design the church. In March 1843, the foundation stone was laid. However, the parish could not afford Pugin's designs. Once the chancel was built, J. G. Poole, an architect and local surveyor, was asked to complete the church. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was built to his designs and in 1845, the new church was opened.

Pro-cathedral

On 19 May 1882,

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

established the Diocese of Portsmouth. As the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

was under construction, St Joseph's church served as the pro-cathedral until 10 August, when the new cathedral in Portsmouth was opened.

Expansion

In 1888, Leonard Stokes was asked to renovate and expand the church. The north and south walls were rebuilt. A seventh window was added to the north side of the church. The height of the church was raised and the ceiling along the nave was replaced. In 1911, the high altar, designed by Pugin was moved from the sanctuary to the Sacred Heart chapel in the church. In 1971, it was moved back and became the main altar. In 1981, a restoration of the church was undertaken.

Parish

In 2006, the diocese reorganised its

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es. St Joseph's parish was merged with the neighbouring St Edmund's parish to form the Parish of St Joseph and St Edmund, which is sometimes referred to as the Southampton City Centre Parish. Attached to the church is the Stella Maris Pastoral Centre. It is situated between St Joseph Church and the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

St. Michael's Church next door. It hosts parish events and meetings of local organisations. St Joseph's Church has two Sunday Masses, one at 6:15pm on Saturday evening and the other at 10:00am on Sunday morning. St. Edmund's Church has four Sunday Masses. They are at 9:00am, 11:00am and 7:00pm on Sunday and there is a

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

in Polish at 7:00pm on Saturday evening.

Exterior

File:St Joseph's Church, Bugle Street - geograph.org.uk - 1720345.jpg, West side of the church File:St Joseph's Catholic Church, Bugle Street.jpg, View along Bugle Street File:Stella Maris Pastoral Centre - geograph.org.uk - 1720314.jpg, Stella Maris Pastoral Centre, attached to the church

References

External links

Southampton City Centre Parish site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph's Church, Southampton

Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...

Gothic Revival church buildings in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1845 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England Roman Catholic churches in Hampshire Grade II listed churches in Hampshire 1830 establishments in England Gothic Revival architecture in Hampshire