Middlesbrough Cathedral
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin, usually known as Middlesbrough Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral
in Coulby Newham
, Middlesbrough
, England
. It is the see
of the Bishop of Middlesbrough
, who is ordinary
of the Diocese of Middlesbrough
in the Province of Liverpool
.
The foundation stone was blessed on Sunday 3 November 1985 by Augustine Harris
, Bishop of Middlesbrough.
The cathedral is a modern, light building similar in some ways to the Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool
. The building complex includes the sanctuary
, the nave
, the Blessed Sacrament
chapel, the sacristy
, the church hall, the narthex
(the entrance porch) and the campanile
. There is also a repository where devotional aids, rosary beads, cards, and the like may be purchased.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Coulby Newham
Coulby Newham
Coulby Newham is a large housing estate in the borough of Middlesbrough and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England, with a resident population of 10,700....
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, 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...
. It is the see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of the Bishop of Middlesbrough
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 the City of York...
, who is ordinary
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
of the Diocese of Middlesbrough
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 had covered all of Yorkshire...
in the Province of Liverpool
Archdiocese of Liverpool
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite, of the Roman Catholic church in England. The episcopal see is the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, located in Liverpool. The Archdiocese covers the south west of the traditional county of Lancashire...
.
Design and construction
The original architect was Frank Swainston, died just after the outline plan had been agreed upon. His assistant Peter Fenton developed the detailed drawings and designed the Cathedral furnishings. All this he brought to completion with the advice of J.O. Tarren and Professor Patrik Nuttgens.The foundation stone was blessed on Sunday 3 November 1985 by Augustine Harris
Augustine Harris
Bishop Augustine Harris was Roman Catholic Bishop of Middlesbrough and former Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool....
, Bishop of Middlesbrough.
The cathedral is a modern, light building similar in some ways to the Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. The building complex includes the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
, the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, the Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
chapel, the sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
, the church hall, the narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
(the entrance porch) and the campanile
Campanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
. There is also a repository where devotional aids, rosary beads, cards, and the like may be purchased.