WELCOME TO
WREXHAM CATHEDRAL
WALES CATHOLIC
PAUL SCOTT
SATELLITE VIEW
We arrive at Wrexham railway station, and follow Regent Street in a southeast direction towards the city centre. The tall spire of the Catholic Cathedral shortly appears on our right side. Geographically, the Cathedral lies at an odd orientation, so we use the indicated liturgical directions. Thus for example, we use West with a capital W to indicate that part of the Cathedral closest to Regent Street. From the overhead view the Cathedral appears to lack a defining overall structure, but we note the tall tower in the Southwest corner and the extending chapel in the Northeast corner. The structure will become clearer as we explore the Cathedral. Exterior access is also rather restricted, except for the parking area on the South side. There will be no walking around this Cathedral!
This interesting diagram comes from ‘The Cathedral Guide Book’. It gives in plan form the various stages of development of the Cathedral building through the years.
When we enter the building, we shall explore in turn the Porch, the Cloisters, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, the Nave, the (Southeast) Chapel, and finally the Sanctuary.
You can access intermediate points in the tour by a tap / click on the following links:
A brief history follows. To continue an investigation of the Cathedral building and surrounds, start with START!
NOTE ON MAGNIFYING IMAGES
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulscottinfo/albums
and use Command - + (Mac) or Windows - + (Windows).
HISTORY
[Wikipedia]
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, also known as Wrexham Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Wrexham, and mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wrexham.
The Cathedral was originally built as a parish church in 1857. Its architect, Edward Welby Pugin, adopted a 14th-century Decorated Gothic·style. The church replaced an earlier chapel which by the 1850s was deemed insufficient for the growing congregation. Further additions to satisfy a still growing congregation were made in the mid 20th century, in the form of the cloister and side chapel.
The church was designated a Pro-cathedral in 1898 upon the establishment of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia.
Wrexham Cathedral is now a Grade ll listed building. Currently there is an ongoing appeal to raise funds for repair, restoration and modernisation work on the Cathedral buildings and fixtures. These include refurbishment of the Cathedral hall, repairs to windows and stained glass, and improvements to the Cathedral organ.
