St Cuthbert's Church, Durham

Last updated

St Cuthbert's Church, Durham
St. Cuthbert's Catholic Church Durham.jpg
Durham map small.svg
Red pog.svg
St Cuthbert's Church, Durham
Location in Durham
Coordinates: 54°46′29″N1°34′11″W / 54.7746°N 1.5696°W / 54.7746; -1.5696
LocationDurham
CountryUnited Kingdom
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website StCuthberts-Durham.org.uk
History
StatusActive
Founded1827 (1827)
Dedication St Cuthbert
Consecrated 20 July 1910
Architecture
Functional status Parish church
Heritage designationGrade II listed [1]
Designated10 March 1988 [2]
Architect(s) Ignatius Bonomi
Architectural type Gothic Revival architecture
Style English Gothic architecture, Perpendicular Gothic
Administration
Deanery St Cuthbert, Durham
Diocese Hexham and Newcastle
Province Liverpool

St Cuthbert's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Durham, England. It was opened on 31 May 1827 to replace two previous chapels, one run by the secular clergy and the other by the Jesuits. [3] It is also the home of the Durham University Catholic Chaplaincy and Catholic Society. [4] From 2012 to 2016 the parish was entrusted, along with the chaplaincy, to the Dominican Order, and its congregation has since maintained the Dominicans' influence. [5] The church is a protected building, being part of the Elvet Green Conservation Area. [6] It is named for St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, the 7th century bishop, healer and patron of Northern England.

Contents

History

Distribution of English Recusant Catholics 1715-1720. County Durham is the second down on the north-east coast. Distribution of English Recusant Catholics, 1715-1720.png
Distribution of English Recusant Catholics 1715-1720. County Durham is the second down on the north-east coast.

Although the establishment of the church goes back to 1827, the building has served a community of Durham and Northumberland Catholics that is continuous from the beginning of Catholic persecution at the English Reformation. While the Church of England became the official and only public Church for many centuries, English Catholic communities remained in the North – St Cuthbert's was founded by such a Catholic community in Durham.

In 1569, Durham was the theatre for the Rising of the North. [7] Promoted by the Catholic Percys and Nevilles, respectively the Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland, Northern English nobles rose against Elizabeth I to bring the Catholic Church back to England in a rebellion that climaxed with the Catholic Mass revived and celebrated at Durham Cathedral. [8] The following year, the priest who celebrated at this Mass, Thomas Plumtree, was drawn and quartered in the market place. [9] Plumtree was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886, and St Cuthbert's maintains relics of his arm and hand. [10]

Catholics in Old Elvet, Durham

By the early 17th century, there were Jesuit priests serving the Catholic community based at 33 and later 45 Old Elvet, operating a chapel that was later destroyed by a mob celebrating the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which ousted the Catholic King James II. From the 1660s to the late 18th century, Catholic landed gentry, of which there were many in the Durham/Northumberland region, began to buy up property in Old Elvet region in order to be close to the concealed Catholic worship. Votive Masses are still said at St Cuthbert's for the noble Catholic families. One Such family, the Salvins of nearby Croxdale, remain patrons of the congregation and can trace their patronage back to the 16th century. [11] The Salvin coat of arms can be seen among those of other northern Catholic families on the wooden rood-screen behind the high altar. The 18th century saw degrees of toleration gained, except for the Jacobite rising of 1745. The Catholic Relief Act of 1791 saw the legality of Catholic public worship, and a permanent chapel was built in Elvet along with a residence for a Vicar Apostolic, a Catholic bishop, for Northern England.

Interior of St Cuthbert's with the high altar and heraldic rood screen. Interior St. Cuthbert's Catholic Church, Durham.jpg
Interior of St Cuthbert's with the high altar and heraldic rood screen.

Catholic Emancipation and Erection of the Current Building

The Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District from 1790 to 1821 was Bishop William Gibson, who lived and regularly celebrated Mass there. [5] The current building was built in 1827, two years before the Catholic Emancipation of 1829, which saw a restoration of civil and religious rights. The church was designed by Ignatius Bonomi, [12] and while made to reflect the English gothic style, was built relatively level with other Old Elvet buildings and without a tower in order for the Catholics to remain somewhat discreet. In 1869, the tower was added to the church and in 1910 it was finally consecrated on 20 July. [5]

Modern History

From 2012 to 2016, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle entrusted the parish to the Dominican Order who would also provide Catholic chaplains to Durham University with Fr Benjamin Earl, O.P. as prior, parish priest and chaplain. [5] In 2013, a seven-month £300,000 refurbishment program was initiated and was completed in February 2014. [6] Since 2012, St Cuthbert's has seen growth, especially in the student body. [13] The incorporation of Dominican customs and liturgy – much of which has been maintained after the Dominicans left, is helped by the current parish priest, Fr Andrew Downie. [14]

Parish

St Cuthbert's is one of the largest Catholic parishes in the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.[ citation needed ] It has a parish choir and a student choir. They sing a variety of repertoire, including Gregorian chant, Taizé, polyphony and Anglican music. [15]

Holy Mass is offered on Sundays and weekdays at the following times:

Morning and evening prayer is said through the week, and on Tuesday mornings, the Catholic Society chants Dominican Lauds and hosts breakfast. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

Cuthbert 7th-century Bishop of the church, Bishop of Hexham, and saint

Cuthbert of Lindisfarne was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Northumbria, today in north eastern England and South Eastern Scotland. Both during his life and after his death he became a popular medieval saint of Northern England, with a cult centred on his tomb at Durham Cathedral. Cuthbert is regarded as the patron saint of Northumbria. His feast days are 20 March and 4 September.

Hexham Abbey Church in United Kingdom

Hexham Abbey is a Grade I listed place of Christian worship dedicated to St Andrew, in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, in Northeast England. Originally built in AD 674, the Abbey was built up during the 12th century into its current form, with additions around the turn of the 20th century. Since the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537, the Abbey has been the parish church of Hexham. In 2014 the Abbey regained ownership of its former monastic buildings, which had been used as Hexham magistrates' court, and subsequently developed them into a permanent exhibition and visitor centre, telling the story of the Abbey's history.

Ushaw College Church in Durham, UK

Ushaw College, is a former Catholic seminary near the village of Ushaw Moor, County Durham, England, which is now a heritage and cultural tourist attraction. The college is known for its Georgian and Victorian Gothic architecture and listed nineteenth-century chapels. The college now hosts a programme of art exhibitions, music and theatre events, alongside tearooms and a café.

St Marys Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne Church in Tyne and Wear, England

The Cathedral Church of St Mary is a Catholic cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the mother church of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and seat of the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. The Cathedral, situated on Clayton Street, was designed by Augustus Welby Pugin and built between 1842 and 1844. The cathedral is a grade I listed building and a fine example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture championed by Pugin. There is a monument dedicated to Cardinal Basil Hume in the Monument Garden outside of the cathedral, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. St Mary's Cathedral is the sixth tallest structure in the city.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster

The Catholic Diocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in England. The diocese consists of all of London north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, the borough of Spelthorne, and the county of Hertfordshire, which lies immediately to London's north.

Bellingham, Northumberland Village in Northumberland, England

Bellingham is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, to the north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne and is situated on the Hareshaw Burn at its confluence with the River North Tyne.

Croxdale Hall

Croxdale Hall is a privately owned country mansion situated at Croxdale near Sunderland Bridge, County Durham. It is a Grade I listed building.

Fenwick Lawson English sculptor

Fenwick Justin John Lawson, ARCA is an English sculptor based in the north-east of England.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle Catholic diocese in England

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle is a Roman Catholic diocese of the Latin Rite centred on St Mary's Cathedral in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in England. The diocese is one of the six suffragan sees in the ecclesiastical Province of Liverpool and covers the historic boundaries of County Durham and Northumberland.

Cambridge University Catholic Chaplaincy Church in Cambridge, United Kingdom

The Cambridge University Catholic Chaplaincy, known as Fisher House after its patron, English martyr and Cambridge chancellor St John Fisher, is the Catholic chaplaincy for members of the University of Cambridge in England. Founded in 1896, since 1924 it has been located on the site of a former inn on Guildhall Street in Cambridge's city centre. The present Acting Chaplain is Sr Ann Swailes OP; Fr Paul Keane is the incoming Chaplain.

William Hogarth was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.

Ferdinand Ashmall was an English centenarian and Catholic priest for the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Benjamin Earl, O.P. is an English Catholic Priest, Dominican Friar, and Canon lawyer. He is the Procurator General of the Order of Preachers —the 800-year old mendicant order colloquially known as the Dominicans.

Alfred, son of Westou was a medieval English priest and relic collector, active in Northumberland. He is now best known for allegedly stealing the remains of Bede and bringing them in secret to the shrine of St Cuthbert in Durham, although some modern scholars consider this unlikely. He is also documented as having translated the remains of Boisil of Melrose Abbey, as well as numerous northern English minor saints of the 7th and 8th centuries: the anchorites Balther and Bilfrid; Acca, Alchmund and Eata, bishops of Hexham; Oswin, king of Deira; and the abbesses Ebba and Æthelgitha. He served as the sacristan at Cuthbert's shrine under three bishops, and was renowned for his devotion to the saint.

St Josephs Church, Hartlepool Church in Hartlepool, England

St Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It was built from 1893 to 1895 and designed by Edward Joseph Hansom, Archibald Matthias Dunn and W. Ellison Fenwicke in the Gothic Revival style. It is located on the corner of Hutton Avenue and St Paul's Road close to the centre of Hartlepool. It is a Grade II listed building. It is also close to an Anglican Church called St Paul's Church.

St Marys Church, Hexham Church in Hexham, England

St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Hexham, Northumberland. It was built from 1828 to 1830 in the Gothic Revival style. It is located on Battle Hill, opposite Hexham Park, close to the town centre. It is a Grade II* listed building.

St Marys Church, Stockton-on-Tees Church in Stockton-on-Tees, England

St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Stockton-on-Tees. It was built in 1842 and designed by Augustus Pugin in the Gothic Revival style. According to Historic England, the current building was first permanent Roman Catholic church to be built in Teesside since the Reformation. It is located in the town centre, on the corner of Norton Road and Major Street, with the A1305 road to the north of it. It is a Grade II listed building.

St Robert of Newminster Church, Morpeth Church in Northumberland, England

St Robert of Newminster Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Morpeth, Northumberland, England. It was built from 1848 to 1849 in the Early English Gothic style. It is located on Oldgate in the town, overlooking the River Wansbeck. It is a Grade II listed building.

Our Lady and St Cuthbert Church, Berwick Church in Berwick-upon-Tweed, England

Our Lady and St Cuthbert Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England. It was built in 1829 in the Gothic Revival style, intentionally hidden away from the street. It is located on Ravensdowne to the south of Berwick Barracks in the centre of the town. It is a Grade II listed building.

St Marys Church, Hartlepool Church in Hartlepool, England

St Mary's Church or the Church of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Headland, Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It was built in 1850 and designed by Joseph Hansom in the Gothic Revival style. It is located on Durham Street, behind Hartlepool Borough Hall. It was first Catholic church to be built in Hartlepool since the Reformation and it is a Grade II listed building.

References

  1. ↑ Keys to the Past retrieved 20 February 2014
  2. ↑ British listed buildings retrieved 20 February 2014
  3. ↑ Tweedy, J.M. (1981). Popish Elvet: The History of St Cuthbert's, Durham. Volume I. pp. 117–123.
  4. ↑ "Durham University Catholic Chaplaincy". Durham University Catholic Chaplaincy. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 History from StCuthberts-Durham.org retrieved 20 February 2014
  6. 1 2 Durham: St Cuthbert's RC Church safe for generations to come from Independent Catholic News retrieved 20 February 2014
  7. ↑ Moorhouse, Geoffrey (2008). The Last Divine Office: Henry VIII and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. New York: BlueBridge. pp. 245–246. ISBN   978-1-933346-18-2.
  8. ↑ Duffy, Eamon (1992). The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England 1400-1580 . New Haven: Yale University Press. pp.  583–584. ISBN   978-0-300-10828-6.
  9. ↑ "Lives of the English Martyrs;". www.archive.org. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  10. ↑ "On this day: Bl. Thomas Plumtree". National Catholic Reporter. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "History of St Cuthbert's". St Cuthbert's Catholic Church, Durham. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  12. ↑ "St Cuthbert's RC Church in Durham safe for generations to come | National Churches Trust". www.nationalchurchestrust.org. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  13. ↑ "Durham Parish Questionnaire" (PDF). StCuthberts-Durham.org.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  14. ↑ "Chaplain". Durham University Catholic Chaplaincy. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  15. 1 2 "Liturgy at St Cuthbert's". St Cuthbert's Catholic Church, Durham. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  16. ↑ Churches at Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle retrieved 20 February 2014
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.