London, 20 June 2010 – Europe is the place to go to when visiting churches. Architecture, history and culture fills the historical buildings where the Christian religion is practised. So when I was in London, I explored around and found my way to the Catholic Church of Westminster.
First time in London, I decided to make my way to Victoria Station from Lancaster Gate station this afternoon to do some soul searching and church visiting. It was quite easy with the London Tube. Just travel three stations from Lancaster Gate to Oxford Circle where I changed to the Victoria line and after another three stations, I was at Victoria Station.
After taking a while to orientate myself, I accidentally found the Westminster Cathedral. The church looked rather new from the outside.
But upon stepping into the church, I realized that it is extremely large with many smaller chapels within the church.
The tall ceilings also filled the church with a lot of echo from the pipe organ and cantor singing. The atmosphere gave me, as a Catholic, a very rich feeling too. I was glad I came for mass today. Parts of the mass were sung in Latin which made it difficult to sing along but listening to the crisp voice of the cantor made it very soothing. It felt as if I was attending a solo concert.
There were many smaller chapels within the church where people were spotted praying. Many others, probably first-timers, were just as amazed as I was with the beauty of the church with all its fine details put into the art and architecture within.
The Cathedral Church of Westminster was designed in the early Christian Byzantine style by the architect John Francis Bentley, and the foundation stone was first laid in 1895 and the fabric of the building was completed eight years later. It was opened in 1903 and is a Grade 1 listed building. It is also a focus for Catholics throughout England and Wales where national events and a wide range of diocesan activities take place. It is the home of a world-class choir where Solemn Mass is usually sung every day. Mass is celebrated over 40 times every week and priests are available to hear confession or to discuss matters related to the faith every day.
The Cathedral site was originally known as Bulinga Fen and formed part of the marsh around Westminster. It was reclaimed by the Benedictine monks who were the builders and owners of Westminster Abbey, and subsequently used as a market and fairground. After the reformation the land was used in turn as a maze, a pleasure garden and as a ring for bull-baiting but it remained largely waste ground.
In the 17th century, a part of the land was sold by the Abbey for the construction of a prison which was demolished and replaced by an enlarged prison complex in 1834. The site was acquired by the Catholic Church in 1884.
The Cathedral Church of Westminster is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It was also in here that I found peace and solace and a sense of belonging.
The awesome interior of the Cathedral, although incomplete, contains fine marble-work and mosaics. The fourteen Stations of the Cross, by the sculptor Eric Gill, are world renowned.
The cathedral celebrates its Centenary of its consecration on 28 June 2010. I would advise everyone, especially Catholics visiting London to attend mass there if you get the chance to.
Getting there
The nearest underground and train station is Victoria. You can also take 11, 24, 148, 211 and 507 bus routes which stop immediately in front of the Cathedral.
Check out the video taken with my rather old Canon IXUS 860IS. Definitely time to get myself another compact camera!
Check out my other article about another Church of England architecture.
