Leeds Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Leeds Cathedral, formally The Cathedral Church of St Anne, commonly known as Saint Anne
's Cathedral, is the Roman Catholic Cathedral
of the Diocese of Leeds, and is the seat of the Bishop of Leeds
. It is in the city
of Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England
. (The city of Leeds does not have a Church of England
cathedral
, because it is in the Anglican
Diocese of Ripon and Leeds
, although Leeds Parish Church
is large and architecturally significant.)
The original cathedral was located in St. Anne's Church in 1878, but that building was demolished around 1900. The current cathedral building on Cookridge Street was completed in 1904, and was restored in 2006. The reredos of the old cathedral's high altar was designed by Pugin in 1842 and moved to the Lady Chapel of the new cathedral. The cathedral is a Grade II* listed building.
pushed ahead with plans to widen The Headrow and develop it into a Boulevard
style street. This meant that the Cathedral was acquired by the enactment of a compulsory purchase order. Demolition started shortly after and the Leeds Permanent Building Society
purchased the plot to build its head-office, the site is now The Light entertainment complex. Church officials considered several sites on which to build the second cathedral but after exhausting other options, the Church accepted land offered to it by the Corporation, directly adjacent to the previous church. Some architectural features of the original building were salvaged and reused in the new building and some can now be seen at the Castle-by-the-Sea Hotel in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, the former residence of the artist Atkinson Grimshaw.
After renovation in the Cathedral (2005-2006) relic
s of English Catholic martyrs, Blessed Fr.Peter Snow and Ralph Grimston
, were placed in the altar.
and presbytery
. It is built of Weldon stone with Ketton stone
details. The west front has a tall gable between large buttresses that end in Gothic turrets. The Western face has a large ornate crucifix
sculpture. The Northern face has mock Georgian
elements to it, including leaded bay windows. The church has a small tower to the North West corner, from which the flag of the Vatican City
is flown. The interior has a conventional layout, with rows of pews facing towards the altar, there are two rows of stone pillars set along each side. Unlike earlier cathedrals which had steep pitched roofs, the ceiling has a barrelled shape so it, with only a faint apex.
Monday - Friday
Saturday
Saint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
's Cathedral, is the Roman Catholic Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of the Diocese of Leeds, and is the seat of the Bishop of Leeds
Bishop of Leeds
The Bishop of Leeds is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds in the Province of Liverpool, England.The Vicariate Apostolic of the Yorkshire District was elevated to diocese status as the Diocese of Beverley on 29 September 1850, which was suppressed on 20 December 1878 and its area...
. It is in the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. (The city of Leeds does not have a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
, because it is in the Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
Diocese of Ripon and Leeds
Diocese of Ripon and Leeds
The Diocese of Ripon and Leeds is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers an area in western and northern Yorkshire as well as the south Teesdale area administered by County Durham which is traditionally part of Yorkshire...
, although Leeds Parish Church
Leeds Parish Church
Leeds Parish Church, or the Parish Church of Saint Peter-at-Leeds, in Leeds, West Yorkshire is a large Church of England parish church of major architectural and liturgical significance. It has been designated a grade I listed building by English Heritage...
is large and architecturally significant.)
The original cathedral was located in St. Anne's Church in 1878, but that building was demolished around 1900. The current cathedral building on Cookridge Street was completed in 1904, and was restored in 2006. The reredos of the old cathedral's high altar was designed by Pugin in 1842 and moved to the Lady Chapel of the new cathedral. The cathedral is a Grade II* listed building.
Previous Cathedral
The earlier St Anne’s Roman Catholic church, built in 1838 on the corner of the Headrow and Cookridge Street was granted Cathedral status in 1878 upon the creation of the Diocese of Leeds. The Cathedral's life was short-lived as in 1899, Leeds CorporationLeeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
pushed ahead with plans to widen The Headrow and develop it into a Boulevard
Boulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
style street. This meant that the Cathedral was acquired by the enactment of a compulsory purchase order. Demolition started shortly after and the Leeds Permanent Building Society
Leeds Permanent Building Society
The Leeds Permanent Building Society was a building society founded in Leeds, England in 1846 and was commonly known in a shortened form as The Leeds...
purchased the plot to build its head-office, the site is now The Light entertainment complex. Church officials considered several sites on which to build the second cathedral but after exhausting other options, the Church accepted land offered to it by the Corporation, directly adjacent to the previous church. Some architectural features of the original building were salvaged and reused in the new building and some can now be seen at the Castle-by-the-Sea Hotel in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, the former residence of the artist Atkinson Grimshaw.
Current building
The current Cathedral was designed in the Arts and Crafts Gothic Revival style by John Henry Eastwood (1843–1913), a Leeds born and London based architect with previous experience in designing church buildings, much work was also carried out by his assistant, Sydney Kyffin Greenslade (1866–1955). The layout of the cathedral incorporated no wings in-order to accommodate it on the small site. Building work began in the autumn of 1901 and the Cathedral opened in 1904.After renovation in the Cathedral (2005-2006) relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s of English Catholic martyrs, Blessed Fr.Peter Snow and Ralph Grimston
Peter Snow (priest)
Peter Snow was an English Roman Catholic priest. He is a Catholic martyr, along with Ralph Grimston who died with him, beatified in 1987. Liturgical celebration is on 15 June.-Life:...
, were placed in the altar.
Building
The Cathedral is small in size due to its restricted site. The cathedral has an aisled nave and chancel under a continuous roof with narrow trancepts and chapels. There is a chapter houseChapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
and presbytery
Presbytery (architecture)
The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....
. It is built of Weldon stone with Ketton stone
Ketton stone
Ketton stone is a Jurassic oolitic limestone used as a building stone for many centuries. It is named after the village of Ketton in Rutland, England....
details. The west front has a tall gable between large buttresses that end in Gothic turrets. The Western face has a large ornate crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
sculpture. The Northern face has mock Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
elements to it, including leaded bay windows. The church has a small tower to the North West corner, from which the flag of the Vatican City
Flag of the Vatican City
The flag of Vatican City was adopted on June 7, 1929, the year Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy, creating a new independent state governed by the Holy See...
is flown. The interior has a conventional layout, with rows of pews facing towards the altar, there are two rows of stone pillars set along each side. Unlike earlier cathedrals which had steep pitched roofs, the ceiling has a barrelled shape so it, with only a faint apex.
Services
Sunday- 06.00 pm Vigil Mass
- 09.30 am Sung Mass
- 11.00 am Solemn Mass
- 06.00 pm Mass
Monday - Friday
- 08.00 am Mass
- 12 noon Angelus & Rosary
- 12.30 pm Mass
- 3 pm - 5 pm Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
- 05.10 pm Sung Vespers (Mon & Fri, said)
- 05.30 pm Sung Mass (Friday, said)
Saturday
- 12 noon Mass