Sacred Heart Church formerly the Church of Sacred Heart and St Philomena is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

in the town centre of

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

, North Yorkshire. It was built from 1930 to 1932 and is based on the design of St Andrew's Abbey in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. It is situated on the west side of Albert Park on the Linthorpe Road. It is a Grade II listed building.

History

Construction

The foundation stone of the church was laid on 20 September 1930 by the

Bishop of Middlesbrough The Bishop of Middlesbrough is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough in the Province of Liverpool, England. The diocese covers an area of of the counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire together with ...

, Thomas Shine. In 1932 the church was opened, originally dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St Philomena.Middlesbrough – Sacred Heart and St Patrick
from

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

. Retrieved 16 February 2015 The church architect was Jules Coomans (1871–1937), a Belgian architect from

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

. He designed the War Victims Monument in Ypres and there is a street is named after him there. He also worked on various renovations and construction of churches in Ypres and Bruges.

Developments

In 1953, stained glass windows were installed around the

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

in the church. The windows were designed by the studio

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau ...

in Dublin, Ireland. From 1961 to 1967, mosaics designed by Ludwig Oppenheimer from

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

were also installed. In the 1960s, the name of the church changed to become Sacred Heart Church.

Parish

In the 2000s, the two other Roman Catholic churches in the city centre closed. In 2000, the former cathedral of the Diocese of Middlesbrough, St Mary's Church on Sussex Street, was destroyed in a fire. Two years later, in 2002, St Patrick's Church on Cannon Street was closed and demolished. These three parishes were combined into one and – to help reflect the traditions of the three parishes – the new parish was named Saint Patrick but dedication of the Church remains that of the Sacred Heart.Sacred Heart History
from sacredheartmbro.org. Retrieved 12 December 2015 The church hosts two Sunday Masses at 9:30 am and at 6:30 pm. It also has weekday Masses at 9:15 am on Mondays, at 6:30 pm on Tuesdays and at 9:15 am on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and at 9:00 am on Saturday.

Exterior

File:Sacred Heart Church, Middlesbrough by JThomas Geograph 2670955.jpg, Church entrance

References

External links

Sacred Heart Church site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Middlesbrough, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic churches in North Yorkshire Grade II listed churches in North Yorkshire Roman Catholic churches completed in 1932 Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

Romanesque Revival church buildings in England 1932 establishments in England 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom