St. Mary, Manchester

Introduction

Saint Mary, Manchester, in the Diocese of Salford, was built between 1844 and 1848 by Weightman and Hadfield in a Rhenish Romanesque style. The church was founded in 1794 in the centre of what was then the poorest quarter of Manchester.

History

The original church, built in 1794, was the second Catholic church founded in Manchester, after St Chad, Rook Street in 1774. The building of Saint Mary's was begun in 1792, after the Relief Act of 1791 allowed Catholic churches to be built again as churches.

In 1833 Father Henry Gillow decided to re-roof and redecorate the church, but on 8 August 1835 most of the roof collapsed. The architect chosen for the rebuild was Matthew Ellison Hadfield.

The church was opened on 19 October 1848. Father John Newton took charge of Saint Mary's in 1869 and engaged sculptor Mr Lane of Preston to design and implement all the carving that still graces the interior.

The church was subject to a thorough restoration between 1993 and 1994. In 1994, Saint Mary's celebrated its bicentenary.

Stations of the Cross were commissioned from Norman Adams RA and installed in 1995. A W Pugin in 1850 wrote a pamphlet denouncing the design of the church and that of other churches which failed to conform to the ideals of English Gothic architecture. An oratory was formed over the end of the south aisle which could be reached from the presbytery.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has a distinctive helm tower, the first identified revival of this form in England. The sanctuary has an elaborate stone and marble reredos and integral high altar with high-quality statuary of the Sacred Heart and Saints topped by angels.

The High altar is surmounted by a reredos of Caen stone, on top of which are the figures of Angels. On the left of the high altar is a side altar of marble and Caen stone dominated by the life-size Pieta.

The pre-Reformation title of 'Our Lady of Manchester' was restored in St Mary's in the mid 1800s with the establishment of the Shrine of Our Lady of Manchester. The south aisle contains an elaborate, round font with relief-carved Biblical scenes raised on marble columns. The church has a raised timber oratory at the west end of the south aisle, with canted sides and lattice-work timberwork. The church has a stone and marble reredos and integral altar in the oratory with relief-carved scenes and tabernacle with painted door.

The church has a window in the south side chapel with stained glass of the Virgin, probably 1860s by Hardman. The church has a mosaic floor with the words Ave Maria in the entrance lobby. The church has a statue of Mary holding the Baby Jesus in a stone niche on the tower. The church has a steeply-pitched helm roof with three stepped, round-headed lancets to each gable.

The church has a timber and glazed lobby with decorative leaded and stained glass patterns. The church has a stone screen with round arches and marble columns separating the side chapels from the sanctuary. The church is built of red brick in Flemish bond with banded stone and brick heads to all the round-headed windows and arches. The church has a basilican form with a unified, seven-bay space of nave and sanctuary with aisles, side chapels at the east end of the aisles and a square tower at the west end of the south aisle.

The church has a large, octagonal lantern over the nave lighting the interior in its built-up urban setting. The belfry stage has coupled round-headed blank arches each containing two round-headed windows with a central column shaft, with cast-iron diamond lattice grills. The interior has plastered walls with very tall arcades with round arches and columns raised on high, square bases with carved stone Byzantine or Romanesque capitals and shafts painted to resemble marble. The high roof has shallow queen-post trusses with king-struts set on corbels with a panelled ceiling.

In the centre of the roof is a large, octagonal-domed lantern with leaded and stained-glass patterned lights. The north side chapel reredos has a Pieta centrepiece. The west gallery has a timber, panelled front. The shrine of Our Lady of Manchester is on the right of the high altar and comprises the scene from Our Lord's nativity on the left and the presentation in the Temple of Our Lady as a little girl by her parents, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne.

Regular events

During Lent, the Stations of the Cross are celebrated on weekdays after the lunchtime mass. During Advent, the Schools Advent Carol Services take place on weekdays after the lunchtime Mass. The Rosary is recited at lunchtime.

Visiting

The parish organised a pilgrimage to York in honour of St Margaret Clitherow, with two coaches full of pilgrims. The church is open every day with free access, valued as an oasis of peace in the city centre. The church is open during the day for quiet prayer and daily Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The Adams Stations of the Cross attract many visitors, including many non-Catholics.