The Cathedral of the Holy Family, previously ''Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile'', ( uk, Українська Католицька Катедра "Пресвятої Родини") is the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
of the
Ukrainian Greek Catholic
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, image = StGeorgeCathedral Lviv.JPG
, imagewidth =
, type = Particular church (sui iuris)
, alt =
, caption = St. George's C ...
Eparchy of the Holy Family of London. It is the seat of the nation's Ukrainian Catholic eparchial bishop, and overlaps in jurisdiction with the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster
The Catholic Diocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in England. The diocese consists of most of London north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, the borough of Spelthorne (in Surrey), and th ...
, among others.
It was named after the
Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first ...
during their
flight into Egypt
The flight into Egypt is a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 2:13– 23) and in New Testament apocrypha. Soon after the visit by the Magi, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to flee to Egypt with Mary and the i ...
. It is located at Duke Street (off
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...
),
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England. It is open for worship daily.
History
The building it occupies was designed by
Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905) was an English architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, although he designed using other architectural styles as well. He is perhaps best known f ...
in 1891 for the
Congregational
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
King's Weigh House
The King's Weigh House was the name of a Congregational church congregation in London. Its Victorian church building in Mayfair is now the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile.
History
A building called the "King's Weyho ...
congregation. The church is of red brick with buff terracotta dressings. It has an oval nave and a tower in the south-west corner, built in a Romanesque style.
The Congregational church sold it to the Ukrainian Catholics in 1967, to be the new headquarters of the local apostolic exarchate created in 1957 by
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
. Internal adjustments were then made to adapt the building to Catholic liturgy. It includes an east window with glass by
Robert Anning Bell
Robert Anning Bell (14 April 1863 – 27 November 1933) was an English artist and designer.
Early life
Robert Anning Bell was born in London on 14 April 1863, the son of Robert George Bell, a cheesemonger, and Mary Charlotte Knight. He studied ...
and a
confessional
A confessional is a box, cabinet, booth, or stall in which the priest in some Christian churches sits to hear the confessions of penitents. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Churches, but sim ...
by
J. F. Bentley from
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster.
The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...
. Waterhouse's building was listed as Grade II* in 1970.
The cathedral was closed temporarily in 2007 when part of the ceiling collapsed, but has since been refurbished. The
iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
created by a Ukrainian monk, Juvenalij Mokrytsky, was not affected by the ceiling's collapse.
On 18 January 2013 the exarchate was elevated to the rank of an eparchy (full bishopric) by
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
.
The cathedral became a rallying point for the
British Ukrainian community during the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
. The cathedral hosted addresses by political as well as religious figures, including the office of the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Ukraine, both invited by Bishop
Kenneth Nowakowski
Kenneth Anthony Adam Nowakowski ( ua, Кен Новаківський, born May 16, 1958, North Battleford, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on th ...
.
See also
*
*
Paul Patrick Chomnycky
Paul Patrick Chomnycky, OSBM, (born 19 May 1954) is a bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the current bishop of the Diocese of Stamford, Connecticut.
Education
Paul Chomnycky was born in Vancouver, Canada, the son of a Ukrainian-immigr ...
*
Roman Catholicism in Great Britain
The Catholic Church in the United Kingdom is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope. While there is no ecclesiastical jurisdiction corresponding to the political union, this article refers to the Catholic Church's ge ...
Citations
External links
https://www.ucc-gb.com/cathedral
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayfair, Holy Family
Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first ...
Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first ...
Alfred Waterhouse buildings
Churches completed in 1891
19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom
Ukrainian diaspora in the United Kingdom
Buildings and structures in Mayfair
Grade II* listed churches in the City of Westminster
Eastern Catholic church buildings in London
Romanesque Revival church buildings in England
Eastern Catholicism in the United Kingdom
Eastern Catholic cathedrals in the United Kingdom
Grade II* listed cathedrals
Ukrainian Catholic churches in the United Kingdom