The Oratory Church of Saint Wilfrid, York (or York Oratory for short) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

church in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, England. A church dedicated to

Saint Wilfrid Wilfrid ( – 709 or 710) was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Francia, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and ...

has stood in York since medieval times. The church is known as the "Mother Church of the city of York". It is in Gothic Revival style. The arch over the main door has the most detailed Victorian carving in the city. The present church was completed in 1864 and is considered to be one of the most perfectly finished Catholic churches in England, rich in sculptures, paintings and stained glass. In 2013, the church was entrusted to the Oratorian Fathers. It is within the

Diocese of Middlesbrough The Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese based in Middlesbrough, England and is part of the province of Liverpool. It was founded on 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley which ...

and was the second pro-Cathedral of the

Diocese of Beverley The Roman Catholic Diocese of Beverley is an historical diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in England. It took its name after the town of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire, although the episcopal see was located in the city of York. ...

until its dissolution in 1878.

History

In the early 1500s, Saint Wilfrid's was an

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, ...

of the Benedictine Saint Mary's Abbey, York. In 1585, the parish could not support itself; the church became redundant, had fallen into disuse, and was demolished. It was eventually built over and the parish united with Saint Michael le Belfry. Saint Wilfrid's parish was revived by York Catholics in 1742 when they established their Mission in Little Blake Street. The Mission was founded by the Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District of England, Edward Dicconson. A Catholic priest's house was established at number 7 Little Blake Street (now

Duncombe Place Duncombe Place is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The street was first mentioned in 1346 as Lop Lane, and it later became known as Little Blake Street. Initially a very narrow street, the eastern entrance to St Leonard ...

), known as Chapel House. In 1760, the first public place of worship for Catholics opened in York. The chapel continued until 1802 when another chapel was built on the opposite side of the street (on the present site). At this time there were still strong anti-Catholic feelings, so the chapel was hidden from the street by its presbytery. The chapel could hold 700 people and the Catholic population continued to increase in York.

Present church

A church dedicated to Saint Wilfrid has stood in York since medieval times. The original site of the church was on land now occupied by the Judges Lodgings in

Lendal Lendal is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The street was first mentioned in the 1380s, when it was known as Aldeconyngstrete (Old Coney Street). However, by 1641, it had become known as "Lendal", a contraction of "St ...

and part of the Assembly Rooms behind in Blake Street. In 1848, plans were drawn up to build a new church. The funds, however, were diverted to build a much needed church in the

Walmgate Walmgate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. During the Medieval period, the street was the site of a seafissh and cattle market. Walmgate Bar, was involved in the Siege of York in 1644, during the First English Civil War. Durin ...

area for the large number of Irish Catholics who settled there during the Great Famine. Saint George's Church was built and it became the Pro-Cathedral of the Catholic diocese of Beverley. In 1859, York Corporation were planning a new approach road to Lendal Bridge. This prompted Dean Duncombe to apply to the corporation to continue the route by the chapel and towards the Minster. The old narrow lane (Lop Lane or Little Blake Street) was replaced with a wide thoroughfare. The houses on the opposite side to the chapel were demolished and the road widened to create Duncombe Place, named after the Dean. Saint Wilfrid's became the Pro-Cathedral Church of the Beverley Diocese. This was short lived as Beverley diocese was split to make the Dioceses of

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

(south of the River Ouse) and of Middlesbrough (north of the river). The Church of St Wilfrid is often known by Catholics as the “Mother Church of the City of York”, since its history connects it to the first, hidden revival of the Catholic faith in this city.

Architecture

The Oratory Church, as it stands today, was to be built on the site of the old chapel. The architect of the building was

George Goldie Sir George Dashwood Taubman Goldie (20 May 1846 – 20 August 1925) was a Manx administrator who played a major role in the founding of Nigeria. In many ways, his role was similar to that of Cecil Rhodes elsewhere in Africa but he did ...

, son of a prominent parishioner Dr. George Goldie, and was baptised in Saint Wilfrid's chapel. He later designed Saint Wilfrid's Primary School nearby, but died in 1887 before the school was built. The church was designed as

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

, a copy of 13th–14th century style. The arch over the main door has the most detailed Victorian carving in the city. The foundation stone was laid in April 1862 by Bishop Cornthwaite. The present church was completed in 1864 for the sum of £10,000. It was opened by

Cardinal Wiseman Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (3 August 1802 – 15 February 1865) was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church who became the first Archbishop of Westminster upon the re-establishment of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in 1850. Born ...

in June 1864. It was considered to be "one of the most perfectly finished Catholic Churches in England, rich in sculpture, stained glass and fittings". Part of the porch way, believed to belong to the original Saint Wilfrid's Church, was found under the floor of the Assembly Rooms during the 19th century renovations. The church became a grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1968.

Tower

The tower is some 147 ft high and is visible around much of York. The design of the tower makes it appear as though the Oratory is taller than the Minster in the background; it is only when a person has passed the Oratory Church that they can see the Minster is taller. The tower holds a fine peal of ten bells, in addition to an Angelus bell (added in 2019 and named “John Henry”) with the heaviest eight bells dating from 1938. The chime was cast at the foundry of

Gillett & Johnston Gillett & Johnston was a clockmaker and bell foundry based in Croydon, England from 1844 until 1957. Between 1844 and 1950, over 14,000 tower clocks were made at the works. The company's most successful and prominent period of activity as a bel ...

in Croydon, and installed at Saint John's Church in Thornham. The bells became available in 1993, and relocated to Saint Wilfrid's. Two lighter bells were added in 1995 to create a peal of ten. They were cast by

John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...

of Loughborough. One is inscribed "Saint Wilfrid"; the other bears the inscription "Ringers ring with one accord. Make beautiful music to praise the Lord".

Furnishings

Nave and chancel of St Wilfrid's Church, York

The altar rails at the Oratory are very fine and of particular note. They were made in 1948 by Wilfrid Dowson, from Kirkbymoorside, who was responsible for some work at York Minster, as well as the Queen's Gates at Saint George's Chapel in

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

. The rails were altered and temporarily removed in February 2007. The organ is an 1867

Forster and Andrews Forster and Andrews was a British organ building company between 1843 and 1924. The company was formed by James Alderson Forster (1818–1886) and Joseph King Andrews (1820–1896), who had been employees of the London organ builder J. C. Bisho ...

, restored in 1998 by

Harrison & Harrison Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company that makes and restores pipe organs, based in Durham and established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and the R ...

Parish

The church has daily Mass. The Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated at 8:15am from Monday till Friday, 9:15am on Saturday (Low Mass) and on Sunday at 12:00pm (Sung Mass). The Novus Ordo Mass is celebrated in English at 12:10pm daily, 5:00pm on Saturday (Vigil Mass) and on Sunday at 8:30am (Low) and 10:30am (Sung). The church has sung Vespers at 4:00pm and (immediately following) Benediction at 4:30pm every Sunday. The Oratory offers four choral scholarships through the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

to both undergraduate and postgraduate female and male students: sopranos, altos, tenors and basses to form a quartet. The church's rectory is in

Petergate House Petergate House (or Oratory House) is a grade II* listed building in the city centre of York, in England. A previous building on the site was constructed about 1500, and its later owners included Thomas Herbert and Henry Swinburne. William Tu ...

. In 1945, Middlesbrough Diocese bought a 16th-century house in the Shambles. Number 35 is now the shrine of Saint Margaret Clitherow, who was martyred in York. It is a pilgrimage site for Catholics from all over the world.

References

External links

Official website - York OratorySt Wilfrid's RC School, YorkOratory of Saint Philip Neri - Procurator General (Rome)
*
St. Wilfrid's, BBC Radio 4 "Bells on Sunday", September 2019
{{DEFAULTSORT:York, Saint Wilfrids Church Grade II listed churches in York George Goldie church buildings Oratorian communities in the United Kingdom Roman Catholic churches in York History of York History of Catholicism in England Oratorian communities Duncombe Place