Everything about Westminster Cathedral totally explained
Westminster Cathedral in
London,
England,
UK, is the
mother church of the
Roman Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and
Cathedral of the
Archbishop of Westminster.
The cathedral is located in Victoria, SW1, in the
City of Westminster. It is the largest Roman Catholic
church in
England and Wales. Not to be confused with
Westminster Abbey of the
Church of England, Westminster Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster, currently
Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, shepherd of the
Archdiocese of Westminster. As a matter of custom each newly appointed Archbishop of Westminster has been created a
cardinal in
consistory.
History
In the late
19th century, the Catholic Church hierarchy had only recently been restored in England and Wales, and it was in memory of
Cardinal Wiseman (who died in 1865, and was the first Archbishop of Westminster from 1850) that the first substantial sum of money was raised for the new cathedral. The land was acquired in 1884 by Wiseman's successor,
Cardinal Manning, having previously been occupied by the second
Tothill Fields Bridewell prison. After two false starts in 1867 (under architect
Henry Clutton) and 1892 (architect
Baron von Herstel), construction started in
1895 under Manning's successor, the third archbishop
Cardinal Vaughan with
John Francis Bentley as architect. The cathedral opened in
1903, a little after Bentley's death. For reasons of economy the decoration of the interior had hardly been started and still much remained to be completed. It is often presumed that Westminster Cathedral was the first Catholic place of worship to be built in Britain after
the English Reformation; however that honour belongs to
St Patrick's in
Soho Square.
Under the laws of the Church no place of worship can be
consecrated unless free from debt and having its fabric completed, so the consecration ceremony didn't take place until
June 28,
1910.
On
May 28,
1982, the first day of his six-day visit to the United Kingdom,
Pope John Paul II celebrated
Mass in the Cathedral.
In
1995, at the invitation of Cardinal
Basil Hume, the cathedral was visited by
HM The Queen, the first visit of a reigning monarch of the
United Kingdom to a Catholic
liturgy for several hundred years.
Architecture and Mosaics
The
Byzantine church architecture by John Francis Bentley makes Westminster Cathedral a highly distinctive building.
The dominating external features are the great
campanile, St. Edward's Tower, 273ft high (top of cross, 284ft), and the West Front with its finely balanced pillars and arches.
The nave is the widest of any church in England and, because the Sanctuary is 4.5ft above the level of the nave, every part commands an uninterrupted view of the High Altar, with its imposing marble and mosaic
baldacchino, on which light is cleverly concentrated. The richly gilt
Crucifix hanging from the chancel arch is 30ft in length. On one side is the figure of
Christ; on the reverse, towards the altar, the figure of the Sorrowful Mother. The Archiepiscopal Throne or
cathedra, of marble and mosaic, is modelled on the Papal Throne at the
Basilica of St. John Lateran in
Rome.
The beautiful marble pillars are elaborately carved, with caps of white Carrara marble, no two alike. There are in all eleven side-chapels. Adjoining the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is a white marble monument of Cardinal Vaughan (d. 1903). The screen and gates in this chapel, surmounted by a gold pelican, are very beautiful. In a corresponding position on the other side of the Sanctuary is the Lady Chapel. The Chapel of St. Gregory and Augustine (the first on the right as one enters the nave) and the Chapel of the Holy Souls (the first on the left as one enters) are also complete; the former was the gift of Lord and Lady Brampton.
The cathedral continues to receive donations for the completion of the elaborate mosaics within. Work has recently been completed to decorate the Chapel of St. Joseph.
Below the Choir is the Crypt, or St. Peter's Chapel, also with fine columns. Here are monuments covering the remains of Cardinals Wiseman and Manning, transferred from their original place of interment at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in
Kensal Green.
The view from the Tower is much obstructed by nearby buildings and scenery. The tower is about 60ft higher than the western towers of
Westminster Abbey, but is 30ft lower than the Clock Tower of the
Houses of Parliament. Archbishop's House adjoins the eastern end of the Cathedral, in Ambrosden Avenue.
Music
Despite its relatively short history compared to other English cathedrals, Westminster has a distinguished choral tradition, and the choir is considered one of the finest of its kind in the world. This musical excellence has its origin in the shared vision of
Cardinal Vaughan, the Cathedral's founder, and Sir
Richard Runciman Terry, its inaugural Master of Music. Terry prepared his choristers for a year before their first sung service in public. For the remainder of his tenure (until 1924) he pursued a celebrated revival of great quantities of Latin repertoire from the English Renaissance, most of which had lain unsung ever since the Reformation. Students at the Royal College of Music who would become household names were introduced to their heritage when
Charles Villiers Stanford sent them to the cathedral to hear "polyphony for a penny" (the bus fare). This program also required honing the boys' sight-reading ability to a then-unprecedented standard.
The Cathedral's musical traditions have been upheld by successive distinguished Masters of Music. Holders have included
George Malcolm, whose trebles innovated a brilliant 'continental' tone, "voices like razors" to quote one auditor;
Colin Mawby,
Stephen Cleobury,
David Hill and
James O'Donnell. Since 2000, the post has been occupied by
Martin Baker. It is believed Westminster Cathedral is the only Catholic Cathedral in the world to have a daily
sung Mass.
The Choir has commissioned many works from distinguished composers, many of whom are better known for their contribution to
Anglican music, such as
Benjamin Britten and
Ralph Vaughan Williams. However, the Choir is particularly renowned for its performance of
Gregorian chant and polyphony of the
Renaissance.
All the boys of the Choir are boarders at the nearby
Westminster Cathedral Choir School.
Unlike most other English cathedrals, Westminster doesn't have a separate
Quire; instead, the choir are hidden from view in the
Apse behind the High Altar. This, with the excellent acoustic of the cathedral building, contributes to its distinctive sound.
Located in the west gallery, the Grand Organ of four manuals and 81 stops occupies a more commanding position than many British cathedral organs enjoy. Built by Henry Willis III from 1922 to 1932, it remains one of the most successful and admired. One of
Louis Vierne's best-known organ pieces, "Carillon de Westminster," the final movement from Suite no. 3 (op. 54) of Pièces de Fantaisie, was composed for it and dedicated to the builder. The apse organ of fifteen stops is older. Although the Grand Organ has its own attached console, a console in the apse can play both instruments.
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