Not so long ago, some people had plans to build the largest church in the world in Liverpool, England. The Roman Catholic cathedral for the diocese of Liverpool was, ambitiously, to be larger even than Saint Peter’s in Rome. What got built, however, fell quite a bit short of that goal.
On the other end of Renshaw Street, however, is the grand Anglican Cathedral of Liverpool, the second largest church in the United Kingdom (after Saint Paul’s in London) and the fourth largest church in Europe. It is a massive, neo-gothic structure completed only in the 20th century, perhaps a testament that setting more realistic goals might more often result in success.
The Roman Catholic cathedral that did get built is a 60’s-modern circular structure designed by a protestant architect. It sits atop a massive crypt intended as the base of the original church design, the crypt being more impressive than the modern church itself (we’ll have to take people’s word for it: we got to the church a few minutes after the crypt closed). Shortly after the “wigwam” (as some people call it) was completed, it started to fall apart. The diocese sued the construction company, took a settlement, and made repairs.
The Anglican Cathedral, ironically designed by a catholic architect, is the classic basilica design of nave-transepts-apse. Its only design shortcoming was that the architect originally intended it to have two massive towers, but it wound up with only one. We’ll let that slide: the church is impressive, though it felt a bit odd to see a working church complete with a cafe and to periodically hear the sound of a barista cranking out an espresso throughout the expansive church.
It’s interesting that both of these cathedrals were constructed in the last century, just like the modern cathedral in Madrid we blogged about earlier this summer. They were both conceived and built in a time of competition and rivalry between the catholic and anglican communities, but the “dueling cathedrals” acted as much to bring the communities together as to outdo one another. Their respective bishops have famously collaborated and few cities can boast cathedrals where both their figureheads–the pope and the queen–have attended services.
While we give a thumbs-up to the architecture of the Anglican Cathedral, we give a thumbs-up to the modern art of the Catholic Cathedral, in particular Sean Rice’s bronze stations of the cross and his striking statue of Abraham.
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| Stations of the Cross by Artist Sean Rice |
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| Abraham by Artist Sean Rice |
