Catholic churches in London have an interesting history. The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as Brompton Oratory is the first Catholic Church to be built in London after the devastating Reformation. It is located in South Kensington, London.
The church is a fine example of Italian Renaissance neo-baroque style architecture. It is home to a community of priests known as “The Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri” or Oratorians.
In 1876 Henry Gribble, an unknown 29 year old recent convert, submitted the winning design for the proposed church, winning £200 for his efforts from the congregation.
The church was built from 1880 to 1884 at a cost of £93,000. The south façade was added in 1893, and the outer dome and other finishing touches were added by 1896. At 200 feet tall, the church is the second tallest Roman Catholic church in London, the first being Westminster Cathedral.
While you are in the area, another church you might like to visit is Holy Trinity Brompton, a leader in the Anglican Evangelical movement. This church was built in 1829 and a portion of its land was eventually sold to the Roman Catholic Church so that Brompton Oratory could be built nearby. Holy Trinity Brompton is a good example of the Commissioner’s Gothic style of architecture, and was designed by Thomas Leverton Donaldson.
The interior of Brompton Oratory is quite ornate and beautiful, with marble columns and altar rails, mosaics, and elaborate carvings. You can see the marble statues of the 12 apostles which were carved by Giuseppe Mazzuoli in the 1600s and came to the church from Siena Cathedral in 1895.
The Brompton Oratory has an important liturgical tradition and has a professional choir, the London Oratory Choir, which sings the Latin Mass and Vespers on Sundays. The church also sponsors the London Oratory Junior Choir which gives young people the opportunity to sing mass in a great church.
On holidays, the liturgy draws huge crowds from all over. Mass is celebrated here several times daily, and many of the services are conducted in Latin.
Catholic churches in London like the Brompton Oratory are quite active in practicing their traditional style of worship.
Visiting Brompton Oratory
Brompton Road, South Kensington, SW7 2RP
Telephone: 020 7808 0900
Email OratoryPP@aol.com
Opening Times
6am-8pm
Photo courtesy: Gaspa
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