St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast


Saint Peter's Cathedral, Belfast. is the Roman Catholic cathedral church for the Diocese of Down and Connor, and is therefore the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor. It is located in the Divis Street area of the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland and construction began in the 1860s. It is home to St Peter's Schola Cantorum.

History

Until the Reformation the cathedral of the Diocese of Down & Connor had been at Downpatrick. But, at the beginning of the 19th century, Belfast was a growing town and with the appointment of William Crolly in 1825 the episcopal seat moved there.
St Peters's was originally envisaged as the parish church for the expanding post-Famine Catholic population of Belfast. The site was provided by a wealthy Belfast flour merchant and philanthropist, Bernard Hughes while the church was designed by Fr Jeremiah Ryan McAuley, who had trained as an architect before he became a priest.
The church was opened on 14 October 1866. The signature twin spires were added in 1886.
It was built on a scale and with a level of high quality interior decoration that it became known as a pro-cathedral, or temporary cathedral, for the Diocese. In that regard it was an honour shared with St Patrick's Church, Belfast in Donegall St where, for example, Bishop Patrick Dorrian was buried in 1885 and where in 1929 Bishop Daniel Mageean was consecrated bishop.
The decision to designate St Peter's as the diocesan cathedral was taken by Bishop Cahal Daly who celebrated the Mass on 29 June 1986 at which the building was formally designated as the Cathedral Church of Down and Connor.

Design

The exterior is of Scrabo sandstone with Scottish sandstone dressings. Internally there is a hammer-beam ceiling. There were several extensive refurbishments in 1950, in 1986 under the direction of the controversial Irish artist Ray Carroll and more latterly in 2003/5 which undid much of the 1980s work.
It is a Grade A listed building.

Liturgy in the Cathedral

Mass is celebrated every day in the Cathedral.
Other Sacraments and Liturgies
From St Peter's Cathedral website unless otherwise stated: