Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

Prior to the English Reformation Liverpool was a small riverside town, and lay in the diocese of Lichfield. In the 18th and 19th centuries, and especially during the Great Irish Famine (1845–1852) the Catholic population of Liverpool increased dramatically. About half a million Irish, who were predominantly Catholic, fled to England to escape the famine; many embarked from Liverpool to travel to North America while others remained in the city. In 1850, when the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales was re-established and because of the increase in the Catholic population, Liverpool was chosen as the seat of one of the 13 new dioceses thus formed. The co-adjutor Bishop of Liverpool,…

The focus of the interior is the altar which faces the main entrance. It is made of white marble from Skopje, North Macedonia, and is 10 ft long. The floor is also of marble in grey and white designed by David Atkins. The benches, concentric with the interior, were designed by Frank Knight. Around the perimeter is a series of chapels. Some of the chapels are open, some are closed by almost blank walls, and others consists of a low space under a balcony. Opposite the entrance is the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, above which is the organ. Other chapels include the Lady Chapel and the Chapel of Saint Joseph. To the right of the entrance is the Baptistry. ]] Rising centrally over the main altar is…