St Osburg's Church, Coventry
| St Osburg's Church | |
|---|---|
| Most Holy Sacrament and St Osburg Church | |
 View of the back of the church | |
 | |
| 52°24′39″N 1°31′10″W / 52.4109°N 1.5195°W | |
| OS grid reference | SP3277879317 |
| Location | Coventry |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | SsMaryandBenedict.org.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founder(s) | Bishop William Ullathorne OSB |
| Dedication | Osburh of Coventry |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade II listed |
| Designated | 24 June 1974[1] |
| Architect(s) | Charles Hansom |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1843 |
| Completed | 9 September 1845 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Birmingham |
| Diocese | Birmingham |
| Deanery | Coventry[2] |
St Osburg's Church also known as the Church of the Most Holy Sacrament and St Osburg is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Coventry, West Midlands. It was built from 1843 to 1845 and was designed by Charles Hansom. It is situated in the city centre on the junction between Holyhead Road and the Coventry Ring Road. It was founded by the Benedictines from Downside Abbey and is a Grade II listed building.[1]
Construction[edit]
In 1841, a monk of Downside Abbey, William Ullathorne OSB, came to Coventry from Australia, where he was Vicar General. When he arrived in Coventry, there was a small chapel, dedicated to St Lawrence and St Mary, on the site of the present church. He set about planning for the construction of the church and got Charles Hansom to design it. Construction started in 1843 and was finished two years later. On 9 September 1845, the church was consecrated by the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District, Nicholas Wiseman. On 21 June 1846, Ullathorne became Vicar Apostolic of the Western District and the ceremony was held in the church, in attendance was John Henry Newman.[3]
World War II[edit]
On 14 November 1940, parts of the city was bombed during an air raid. The church's roof, chancel, east side masonry and all the windows and furnishings were destroyed. Until 1944, the church was in partial ruins. That year the chancel ruins were separated from the nave allowing services to temporarily resume.[4]
In the 1950s, all of the stained glass windows were replaced. They were bought from Earley and Company.[4] Cardinal Bernard Griffin re-opened the Church when all the restoration had finished.[3]
Parish[edit]
The Benedictines from Downside served the parish until 1992, when it was handed over to the Archdiocese of Birmingham. In 2008, the Apostles of Jesus were invited by the archdiocese to serve the church and the nearby parishes.[5] Priests from the Apostles of Jesus also administer St Elizabeth's Church and Saints Mary and Benedict's Church in the city.
Saints Mary and Benedict's Church was also founded by the English Benedictine Congregation. Its foundation stone was laid on 9 February 1893 and it was opened on 21 November 1893. It was opened by Cardinal Herbert Vaughan.[6]
St Elizabeth's Church was designed by Harrison & Cox. It opened in 1912, and reconsecrated in 1962.[7]
There are two Sunday Masses held in St Osburg's Church: Saturday 5:30pm and Sunday 11.30am.[8] Saints Mary and Benedict's Church has its Sunday Masses at 9.30am and 11.30am and St Elizabeth's Church has its Sunday Masses at 9am and 11:15am.
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St Mary and St Benedict Church, Coventry -
St Elizabeth's Church, Coventry
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Roman Catholic Church of St Osburg, Coventry from British listed buildings, retrieved 12 December 2015
- ^ Coventry-CatholicDeanery.org.uk, retrieved 12 December 2015
- ^ a b St Osburg's Parish from SsMaryandBenedict.org.uk, retrieved 12 December 2015
- ^ a b Aidan McRae Thomson, Coventry - St Osburg's, WarwickshireChurches.weebly.com, 2012, retrieved 12 December 2015
- ^ SsMaryandBenedict.org.uk retrieved 12 December 2015
- ^ Parish history from SsMaryandBenedict.co.uk, retrieved 12 December 2015
- ^ StElizabethCoventry.co.uk retrieved 12 December 2015
- ^ Parish Archived 23 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine from Archdiocese of Birmingham, retrieved 12 December 2015
External links[edit]
- Churches in Coventry
- Gothic Revival architecture in the West Midlands (county)
- Grade II listed churches in the West Midlands (county)
- Roman Catholic churches completed in 1845
- 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom
- Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England
- Gothic Revival church buildings in England
- Roman Catholic churches in the West Midlands (county)