St Mary on the Quay 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, ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

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. It is situated on Colston Avenue, next to Colston Tower in the centre of the city. It is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Bristol; the first one built 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 formerly administered by the Society of Jesus and is currently served by the

Divine Word Missionaries The Society of the Divine Word ( la, Societas Verbi Divini), abbreviated SVD and popularly called the Verbites or the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a Catholic Church, Catholic clerical religious congregation ...

. It is a Grade II* listed building.

History

Foundation

From the 1740s, Catholics in Bristol could pray in a private chapel, on St James Back (which was later renamed as Silver Street). The chapel's own records date from 1777. With the Catholic population of the city increasing, a new, larger place of worship had to be sought. In 1786, the

Earl of Arundel Earl of Arundel is a title of nobility in England, and one of the oldest extant in the English peerage. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used (along with the Earl of Surrey) by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. The e ...

paid for a new site on Trenchard Street for a chapel, which became St Joseph Chapel. Construction work on the new chapel began in March 1788. On 27 June 1790, it was opened and congregation moved to the new chapel. The St James Back chapel was sold off that year.Trenchard Street Chapel (St Joseph's RC), Bristol
from Gloucestershire Places of Worship, retrieved 16 December 2014

Construction

The St Mary on the Quay church building was originally intended to be a chapel for the

Catholic Apostolic Church The Catholic Apostolic Church (CAC), also known as the Irvingian Church, is a Christian denomination and Protestant sect which originated in Scotland around 1831 and later spread to Germany and the United States.Richard Shackleton Pope Richard Shackleton Pope (c. 1793 – 10 February 1884) was a British architect working mainly in Bristol. His father was a clerk of works for Sir Robert Smirke, and Pope succeeded him, also working for C.R. Cockerell. He moved to Bristol to ...

and construction began in 1839. It was built in a

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The pr ...

and completed in 1840.Church completed by architect Shackleton Pope
from ''

Bristol Post The ''Bristol Post'' is a city/regional five-day-a-week (formerly appearing six days per week) newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It was ...

'', 2 December 2012, retrieved 16 December 2014 However, the Irvingite congregation could not afford the church. Meanwhile, St Joseph Chapel was becoming too small to hold the increasing numbers of parishioners and it was a very short distance from the Irvingite chapel. In 1843, the Catholics bought it and renamed it St Mary on the Quay Church.

Establishment

The first priest was a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

, Fr Patrick O'Farrell. He served the parish until 1857. That year, the parish was handed over to the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

. The St Joseph Chapel continued as a place of worship until 19 November 1871. It was turned into a school and parish hall for St Mary on the Quay Church. When the church was built, the

Bristol Floating Harbour Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It is the former natural tidal river Avon through the city but was made into its current form in 1809 when the tide was prevented from going out perm ...

came to the front the church. There were boating rings in the front wall so that boats could be tied to the church, while they were docked at the harbour. In 1893, the harbour was covered over and now a road, Colston Avenue, is in front of the church. The boating rings were later removed. In 1978, the parish hall, the old St Joseph Chapel, was sold to become housing. In May 1981, it was demolished with only the façade remaining.St Joseph
from ChurchCrawler.co.uk, retrieved 16 December 2014 The Jesuits administered the parish until 1996, when the church was placed under the care of the

Diocese of Clifton The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton is a Roman Catholic diocese centred at the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Clifton, England. The diocese covers the City and County of Bristol and the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire, ...

. In 2004, the

Bishop of Clifton The Bishop of Clifton is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in the Province of Birmingham, England. The see is in the suburb of Clifton in the city of Bristol where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of S ...

, Declan Lang, invited the

to serve the parish which they continue to do.

Parish

There are four Sunday Masses held in the church. The first one is at 6:15pm on Saturday evening, then 9:30am and 11:00am on Sunday morning and at 5:15pm on Sunday evening.

Gallery

File:St Mary on the Quay Church, Bristol by Anthony ONeil Geograph 2229903.jpg, View across Colston Avenue File:St Mary on the Quay Church wall, Bristol by Neil Owen Geograph 2544883.jpg, Statue on wall File:St Mary on the Quay Church interior, Bristol by Anthony ONeil Geograph 3229462.jpg, Interior

References

External links

St Mary on the Quay parish siteClifton Diocese site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bristol, Saint Mary on the Quay Saint Mary on the Quay Saint Mary on the Quay Grade II* listed Roman Catholic churches in England 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Roman Catholic churches completed in 1840 Greek Revival church buildings in the United Kingdom Neoclassical church buildings in England