St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast

St Anne's Cathedral also known as Belfast Cathedral is a Cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The first architect was Sir Thomas Drew. The foundation stone being laid on September 6, 1899 by the Countess of Shaftesbury. Initially, only the nave of the Cathedral was built, and this was consecrated on June 2 1904.

History

The old Parish Church of St Anne had continued in use, up until 31 December 1903, while the new cathedral was constructed around it; the old church was then demolished; the Good Samaritan window, to be seen in the Cathedral Sanctuary is the only feature of the old church to be retained in the Cathedral.

In 1924 it was decided to build the west front of the Cathedral as a memorial to the Ulstermen and women who had served and died in the First World War. The foundation stone for this was laid by Governor of Northern Ireland, the Duke of Abercorn on June 2, 1925 and the completed facade, to an amended design by the architect Sir Charles Archibald Nicholson, was dedicated in June 1927.

Meantime, the central crossing, in which the choir sits, was built between 1922 and 1924. The Baptistry, to plans drawn up by the late W H Lynn, who had assisted Sir Thomas Drew, was dedicated in 1928, and the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, with its beautiful mosaics depicting Saint Patrick, was dedicated July 5 1932, the 1500th anniversary of the arrival of St Patrick in Ireland.

Edward, Lord Carson, the leader of the Unionist cause at the time of the Home Rule Crisis, was buried (with a state funeral) in the south aisle of the Cathedral in 1935. In 1941 the Cathedral is almost destroyed by a bomb during World War II, which caused extensive damage to surrounding properties. [www.belfastcathedral.org/heritage/timelines/1941-to-1950/ Belfast Cathedral timeline, accessed 10/11/07] ] In 1955 work began on the construction of the ambulatory, at the east end of the Cathedral. This work was dedicated in 1959, but it was not for another ten years that it was possible to begin work on the north and south transepts. The Troubles and inflation led to long delays and major problems with the financing of this work.

The south transept, containing the Chapel of Unity, and with the organ loft above, was dedicated in 1974, and the north transept, with the large Celtic Cross designed by John MacGeagh on the exterior, and housing the Chapel of the Royal Irish Rifles, was completed in 1981.

Annual charity

Thirty years ago, the then Dean of Belfast, Very Rev Samuel B Crooks, started his annual Christmas 'Sit Out', spending the week leading up to Christmas on the steps of the Cathedral, accepting donations large and small, from passers by, which were then distributed amongst many local charities. Dean Crooks soon became known as the "Black Santa", because of the outfit he wore to keep warm. The tradition has been continued by his successors. The week before Christmas each year, the Dean (currently Dr. Houston McKelvey) and members of the Cathedral Chapter sit outside the Cathedral from 10 am til 5 pm each day to raise money for charity and are still collectively known as the 'Black Santa'. Since the tradition began in 1976 £2.2million has been raised for charity. [ [http://www.belfastcathedral.org/black-santa/ St Anne's Cathedral Black Santa] ]

New spire

In April 2007 a 100-metre stainless steel spire was installed on top of the cathedral. Named the "Spire of Hope", the structure is illuminated at night and is part of a wider redevelopment planned for the Cathedral Quarter. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6549473.stm BBC News] ] The base section of the spire protrudes through a glass platform in the Cathedral's roof directly above the choir stalls, allowing visitors to view it from the nave.

Cathedral Worship

Services are held every day in the cathedral. Daily Prayer is said at 1:00pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Holy Communion is celebrated at 1:00pm on Wednesdays and Saint's Days. On Sundays there are three main services held in the cathedral, Holy Communion at 10:00am, Choral Parish Eucharist at 11:00am and Evensong at 3:30pm.

References

External links

* [http://www.belfastcathedral.org/ Belfast Cathedral, The Cathedral Church of St Anne - Official site]