St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast
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Belfast Cathedral, () also known as St Anne's Cathedral (), is a Romanesque-style
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cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
in Donegall Street,
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. It is unusual in serving two separate dioceses ( Connor and Down and Dromore). It is the focal point of Belfast's Cathedral Quarter.


History

The first architect was Sir Thomas Drew, the
foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...
being laid on 6 September 1899 by the Countess of Shaftesbury. The old
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 ...
of
St Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's nam ...
by
Francis Hiorne Francis Hiorne FSA (1744 – 9 December 1789) was an architect and builder based in Warwick. Background He was the son of William Hiorne (c.1712 – 22 April 1776) and Mary Duncalfe. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London ...
of 1776 had continued in use, up until 31 December 1903, while the new cathedral was constructed around it; the old church was then demolished. The Good Samaritan window, to be seen in the sanctuary, is the only feature of the old church to be retained in the cathedral. Initially, only the nave of the cathedral was built, and this was
consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
on 2 June 1904. In 1924 it was decided to build the west front of the cathedral as a memorial to the Ulstermen and women who had served and died in
the Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...
. The foundation stone for this was laid by the 3rd Duke of Abercorn,
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, on 2 June 1925 and the completed facade, to an amended design by the architect Sir Charles Archibald Nicholson, was dedicated in June 1927. In the meantime, the central crossing, in which the choir sits, was built between 1922 and 1924. The Baptistery, to plans drawn up by the late W.H. Lynn, who had assisted Sir Thomas Drew, was dedicated in 1928, and the Chapel of the
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, with its beautiful mosaics depicting
Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...
, was dedicated on 5 July 1932, the 1500th anniversary of the arrival of St Patrick in Ireland. Edward, Lord Carson, the leader of the Unionist cause at the time of the Home Rule Crisis, was buried (with a
state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...
) in the south aisle of the cathedral in 1935. In 1941 the cathedral was almost destroyed by a German bomb, which caused extensive damage to surrounding properties. In 1955 work began on the construction of the ambulatory, at the east end of the cathedral. This work was dedicated in 1959, but it was not for another ten years that it was possible to begin work on the north and south transepts.
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and inflation led to long delays and major problems with the financing of this work. The south transept, containing the Chapel of Unity, and with the organ loft above, was dedicated in 1974, and the north transept, with the large
Celtic cross upright 0.75 , A Celtic cross symbol The Celtic cross is a form of ringed cross, a Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring, that emerged in the British Isles and Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages. It became widespread through its u ...
designed by John MacGeagh on the exterior, and housing the Chapel of the
Royal Irish Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an light infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal ...
, was completed in 1981. In April 2007 a 40-metre stainless steel spire was installed on top of the cathedral. Named the "Spire of Hope", the structure is illuminated at night and is part of a wider redevelopment planned for the Cathedral Quarter. The base section of the spire protrudes through a glass platform in the cathedral's roof directly above the choir stalls, allowing visitors to view it from the nave.


Annual charity

In 1976, the Dean of Belfast, Samuel B. Crooks, started his annual
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
'Sit Out', spending the week leading up to Christmas on the steps of the cathedral, accepting donations large and small from passers-by, which were then distributed amongst many local charities. Dean Crooks soon became known as the "Black Santa", because of the outfit he wore to keep warm. The tradition has been continued by his successors. The week before Christmas each year, the Dean (currently Stephen Forde) and members of the cathedral chapter sit outside the cathedral from 9 a.m. until 5.30 p.m. each day to raise money for charity and are still collectively known as the 'Black Santa'. The tradition has raised several million pounds for charity.St Anne's Cathedral Black Santa
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Cathedral worship

Services are held every day in the cathedral. Lunchtime prayers are said at 1:00pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Holy Communion celebrated at 1:00pm on Wednesdays, Saints' Days and other Holy Days. A Service of Healing takes place in the Cathedral Hall or Chapel of Unity every Friday at 1:00pm. A service of Choral Evensong is held at 5:30pm every Friday. On Sundays, a Service of Said or Sung Eucharist is celebrated at 11am, with a Service of Evening Prayer or Evensong at 3:30pm.


Organ

The cathedral's organ with 4 manuals, is the second largest pipe-organ in Northern Ireland. It was built by Harrison and Harrison in 1907 and rebuilt in 1969–1975. A specification of the organ can be found on th
National Pipe Organ Register


List of organists

*William Ware 1776–1825 *John Willis 1825–1847 *James Thompson May 1847–1862 *Henry A Wood 1863–1873 *Isaac Waugh Nicholl 1874–1903 *Charles J Brennan 1904–1964 (first organist of St Anne's Cathedral) *Harry Grindle 1964–1976 (formerly organist of St. Comgall's Church,
Bangor, County Down Bangor ( ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the southern side of Belfast Lough. It is within the Belfast metropolitan area and is 13 miles (22 km) east of Belfast city centre, to whic ...
) *Jonathan Gregory 1976–1984 (later organist of
Leicester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Martin, Leicester, commonly known as Leicester Cathedral, is a Church of England cathedral in Leicester, England, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester. One of the city centre's five surviving medieval ch ...
) *Andrew Paul Padmore 1984–1988 (formerly organist of
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) *David Drinkell 1988–2002 (formerly organist of St. Magnus Cathedral
Kirkwall Kirkwall (, , or ; ) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. First mentioned in the ''Orkneyinga saga'', it is today the location of the headquarters of the Orkney Islands Council and a transport hub wi ...
) *Brian Hunter 2002–2003 *
Philip Stopford Philip W. J. Stopford (born 1977) is an English organist and composer best known for his choral works.Philip Stopford w ...
2003–2010 (formerly assistant organist of
Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint ...
) *Ian Barber 2010–2012 *David Stevens 2012–2019 (formerly Director of the Girls Choir and Sub-Organist at
Newcastle Cathedral Newcastle Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas, is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Newcastle (England), Bishop of Newcastle and is the mother church ...
) *Matthew Owens 2019–2022 (formerly Organist and Master of the Choristers at
Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells and the mother church of the diocese of Bath and Wells. There are daily Church of England services in ...
) *Jack Wilson 2023- (formerly Graduate Organ Scholar at
Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 67 ...
, and Assistant Director of Music at Belfast Cathedral)


Gallery


See also

*
Dean of Belfast The Dean of Belfast is the senior official of St Anne's Cathedral in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland and head of the Chapter, its governing body. List of deans of Belfast * 1894–1899: Henry Stewart O’Hara; first dean of Belfast (afte ...
Chronological list of the Deans of St Anne's


References


External links


Belfast Cathedral, The Cathedral Church of St Anne – Official site
{{Cathedrals of the Church of Ireland Anglican cathedrals in Northern Ireland Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland) Diocese of Down and Dromore Churches in Belfast Grade A listed buildings Tourist attractions in Belfast Churches completed in 1904 1904 establishments in Ireland