Westminster Cathedral

Westminster Cathedral (67)

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Westminster Cathedral is London’s Catholic cathedral, and often surprises tourists wandering distractedly down Victoria Street, since a square suddenly opens up before them and the magnificent silhouette of the temple stands out.

Unlike the majority of churches in the city, which are neo-Gothic in appearance, this cathedral was designed by John Francis Bentley in Byzantine style. The site, which in other times had housed a prison, was acquired by the Catholic Church in 1884. The first stone was laid in 1895, and in just 8 years the construction works were competed.

The outside features its peculiar bell tower of nearly 90 metres in height. The monotony of this redbrick tower is broken by strips built with white stone. The inside, decorated with more than 100 types of marble, shows us the imposing baldachin of the main altar and a series of beautiful mosaics that, unfortunately, are still unfinished more than 100 years after having been started.

Nevertheless, there are other treasures that give it great beauty, such as the relief work sculpted by Eric Gill in the wide nave. These world-famous figures represent the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross.

Westminster Cathedral is also famous for its choir, made up of pupils from Westminster Cathedral Choir School. The special relationship of the cathedral with religious music dates back to its beginnings, since its founder, Cardinal Vaughan, shared a great love of music with the first master of Music that the temple had, Richard Runciman Terry.

If you want to enjoy music in this church, you should come on any Sunday afternoon. As well as its choir, you will get the chance to enjoy the sound of one of the best organs in the United Kingdom.

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