Church of Saint Francis Xavier, Liverpool
Encyclopedia
The Church of Saint Francis Xavier, Liverpool is a Roman Catholic church in Salisbury Street, Everton, Liverpool
, England . It is a Grade II* listed building and an active parish church
in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and the Pastoral Area of Liverpool North. It is staffed by the Society of Jesus
.
Chapel which had been designed by Edmund Kirby
, was opened. In 1898 the wall dividing the Sodality Chapel from the main part of the church was demolished.
By the time of the Second World War
, St Francis Xavier's was the largest Roman Catholic parish in England, containing over 13,000 Catholics. During the war the church was damaged, particularly the roof, and most of the windows were blown out. From the 1960s the church went into decline, partly because of the demolition of housing in the parish. In the 1980s there were plans to demolish the nave, but it was saved following a popular campaign. In 2001 the parish was combined with the parishes of St Joseph and St Mary of the Angels and the Sodality Chapel was re-named The Chapel of St Mary of the Angels and St Joseph.
d roofs, and a short one-bay chancel with chapels to the north and south. To the southwest is a tower with a spire and to the southeast is the Sodality Chapel. This chapel is polygonal in plan with apse
at the west and an ambulatory
at the east end.
are in white marble
and include arcades
and pinnacle
s; they were designed by S. J. Nicholl. In the side chapels are similar altars and reredoses. The pulpit
is made of Caen stone
and an elaborate font
is at the west end of the nave. Stained glass windows in the church are by Hardman and Powell
, dated 1930, and by Linda Walton, dated 1999. The stained glass in the Sodality Chapel was designed by Edmund Kirby and made by Burlison and Grylls
. The ring
consists of eight bells cast in 1920 by John Taylor & Co. which were re-hung in 2002–03. The four-manual organ was built in 1849 by Gray & Davison and rebuilt and enlarged in 1907 by William Hill & Son.
During 2008 to celebrate Liverpool being the European Capital of Culture
an exhibition was held in the church entitled Held in Trust: 2008 Years of Sacred Culture. This consisted of artefacts from Stonyhurst College
, embroideries
and church plate from the church's own collection, and vestments
from the chapel in the Portuguese Embassy in London. Items on display included a book of homilies
of Pope Gregory from 1170, Thomas More
’s hat, Katherine of Aragon
’s chasuble
, and Cardinal Wolsey’s Book of Hours
.
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...
, England . It is a Grade II* listed building and an active parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and the Pastoral Area of Liverpool North. It is staffed by the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
.
History
Members of the Society of St Francis Xavier decided at a meeting in 1840 that, as the numbers of Roman Catholics in Liverpool was growing rapidly, a new church was needed. The foundation stone was laid in 1842 and J. J. Scoles was appointed as architect. The church opened on 4 December 1848. The spire was added in 1883. The church had been designed to hold 1,000 people but this proved to be insufficient for the congregation and in 1888 an additional chapel, the SodalitySodality (Catholic Church)
A sodality, also known as a "union of prayer" or "confraternity", is an older designation for a lay ecclesial movement or organization in the Roman Catholic Church....
Chapel which had been designed by Edmund Kirby
Edmund Kirby
Edmund Kirby was an English architect. He was born in Liverpool, educated at Sedgeley Park School and Oscott College. He was articled to E. W. Pugin, then worked for Hardman & Co., and for John Douglas in Chester. By 1863 he was practising in Birkenhead and by 1866 his office was in Derby...
, was opened. In 1898 the wall dividing the Sodality Chapel from the main part of the church was demolished.
By the time of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, St Francis Xavier's was the largest Roman Catholic parish in England, containing over 13,000 Catholics. During the war the church was damaged, particularly the roof, and most of the windows were blown out. From the 1960s the church went into decline, partly because of the demolition of housing in the parish. In the 1980s there were plans to demolish the nave, but it was saved following a popular campaign. In 2001 the parish was combined with the parishes of St Joseph and St Mary of the Angels and the Sodality Chapel was re-named The Chapel of St Mary of the Angels and St Joseph.
Structure
The church is built in stone with slate roofs. Its plan consists of an eight-bay nave with north and south aisles under separate gableGable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roofs, and a short one-bay chancel with chapels to the north and south. To the southwest is a tower with a spire and to the southeast is the Sodality Chapel. This chapel is polygonal in plan with apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
at the west and an ambulatory
Ambulatory
The ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar....
at the east end.
Fittings and furnishings
The high altar and reredosReredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
are in white marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and include arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
and pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s; they were designed by S. J. Nicholl. In the side chapels are similar altars and reredoses. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
is made of Caen stone
Caen stone
Caen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
and an elaborate font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is at the west end of the nave. Stained glass windows in the church are by Hardman and Powell
Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co., otherwise John Hardman Trading Co., Ltd., founded 1838, began manufacturing stained glass in 1844 and became one of the world's leading manufacturers of stained glass and ecclesiastical fittings...
, dated 1930, and by Linda Walton, dated 1999. The stained glass in the Sodality Chapel was designed by Edmund Kirby and made by Burlison and Grylls
Burlison and Grylls
Burlison and Grylls is the name of an English company who produced stained glass windows from 1868 onwards.The company of Burlison and Grylls was founded in 1868 at the instigation of the architects George Frederick Bodley and Thomas Garner. Both John Burlison and Thomas Grylls had trained in the...
. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of eight bells cast in 1920 by John Taylor & Co. which were re-hung in 2002–03. The four-manual organ was built in 1849 by Gray & Davison and rebuilt and enlarged in 1907 by William Hill & Son.
Present day
The church holds services on Sundays and throughout the week. The bells are rung by the Liverpool Universities Society of Change Ringers.During 2008 to celebrate Liverpool being the European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
an exhibition was held in the church entitled Held in Trust: 2008 Years of Sacred Culture. This consisted of artefacts from Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
, embroideries
Embroidery
Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
and church plate from the church's own collection, and vestments
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
from the chapel in the Portuguese Embassy in London. Items on display included a book of homilies
Homily
A homily is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture. In Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox Churches, a homily is usually given during Mass at the end of the Liturgy of the Word...
of Pope Gregory from 1170, Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
’s hat, Katherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
’s chasuble
Chasuble
The chasuble is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian Churches that use full vestments, primarily in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches, as well as in some parts of the United Methodist Church...
, and Cardinal Wolsey’s Book of Hours
Book of Hours
The book of hours was a devotional book popular in the later Middle Ages. It is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript. Like every manuscript, each manuscript book of hours is unique in one way or another, but most contain a similar collection of texts, prayers and...
.