St Malachy's Church, Belfast facts for kids
Saint Malachy's Church is a Catholic church found in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It stands on Alfred Street, not far from Belfast City Hall. This church is actually over 60 years older than the City Hall! It's a very important place for the local community, serving as the heart of the Saint Malachy's parish. This parish is one of 88 in the Down and Connor area. It is also the third oldest Catholic church in Belfast.
At first, priests from St Mary's Church, Belfast looked after Saint Malachy's. But in 1866, the Parish of Saint Malachy was officially created. Fr Geoffrey Brennan became the first leader of the parish. Later, in 1909, Fr Daniel McCashin became the first official parish priest.
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History of Saint Malachy's Church
For many years in the 1830s, Dr Cornelius Denvir, the Bishop of Down and Connor, searched for a good spot to build a third church. He wanted to help the growing number of Catholic people in Belfast.
Mr Adam McClean, a Protestant businessman, owned a large area of land behind Donegall Square South. He offered the Bishop a great deal on a piece of land. A lease was signed on May 1, 1839. Mr McClean rented the building land on Alfred Street to Mr Hugh Magill, a well-known linen merchant, to hold in trust for the Catholics of Belfast. The land was actually three plots. Dr Denvir had already bought a small piece, and Mr McClean gave another piece as a gift.
On November 3, 1841, which is the feast day of Saint Malachy, the first stone for Saint Malachy's Church was laid. On December 15, 1844, Dr William Crolly, the Archbishop of Armagh, officially opened the building. Dr Crolly was from the Down and Connor area and had been its bishop before.
Why the Church Changed Plans
Saint Malachy's was first planned to be the main cathedral church for the Diocese of Down and Connor. It was meant to hold 7,000 people! However, because of money problems, a smaller church was built instead. Even so, the church is seen as one of the best examples of Tudor Revival churches in Ireland.
Inside Saint Malachy's Church
The church was designed by Thomas Jackson from Waterford. It looks like churches built during the Tudor period. It has a cross shape, measuring 113 feet long, 52 feet wide, and 40 feet high.
The original main altar, pulpit, and altar rails were made of Irish oak wood. But in 1926, when the church was updated, they were replaced with marble. The only part left from the original decorations is the canopy over the pulpit. It has been painted white to match the new marble altar. The floor in the sanctuary, which is the area around the altar, is made of mosaic tiles, mostly blue. At the front of the altar, there is a picture of a pelican. This bird is a common Christian symbol of sacrifice.
The Amazing Fan-Vaulted Ceiling
Saint Malachy's is perhaps most famous for its amazing fan-vaulted ceiling. It looks like the ceiling in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey. Sir Charles Brett once said it looks "as though a wedding cake has been turned inside out." This is because the plasterwork is so creamy, lacy, and frothy.
There are two smaller altars in the church, one on each side of the main sanctuary. One is for Saint Joseph, and the other is for the Blessed Virgin Mary. The church also has statues of many saints, including the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Saint Philomena, Saint Malachy himself, and Saint Benedict Joseph Labre. Saint Benedict Joseph Labre was known as "The Ragged Saint" by people in Belfast and across Ireland.
World War II and the Church
During the Second World War, Belfast was attacked by the Luftwaffe, which was the German Air Force. This was known as the Belfast Blitz. On one night, April 15, 1941, a bomb landed in front of the church. It did not damage the church's main structure, but many of its windows were blown in.
Another bomb landed nearby at the Gasworks. This explosion created a huge vacuum, which literally sucked out the rest of the windows. The original Irish oak frames around the windows were completely destroyed.
Repairing the War Damage
Because it was wartime, it was impossible to replace the oak window frames. So, they were replaced with concrete frames. This actually caused more damage than the bombs over time. For more than 60 years, the strong concrete damaged the handmade bricks around the frames. By the time the church was fully restored, over 80,000 bricks needed to be replaced! Even with all this damage, the church stayed open during the war. Work was done in stages, sometimes with half the building closed off.
Restoration of the Church
The area around Saint Malachy's Church changed a lot from the early 1980s. Also, the church itself was getting very old. This led to the brickwork getting worse. So, a big restoration project began in January 2008 and finished in 2009. It cost £3,500,000. The inside of the church was also restored.
The beautiful patterns painted around the sanctuary, which had been painted over in the 1950s, were brought back. The altar rails and the detailed mosaic floor were also fixed. The church had a special re-opening and dedication of the altar on March 29, 2009. Dr Noel Treanor, the Bishop of Down and Connor, led the service.
This was the first time Saint Malachy's had been closed for a long time since it first opened in 1844. While the church was being restored, weddings and funeral Masses were held in other nearby churches.
The Great Bell
Saint Malachy's Church holds the largest bell in Belfast. There used to be a whiskey distillery near the church. The owners of the distillery claimed that the sound of the bell was messing up their whiskey-making process!
Many people thought the bell was removed, but it wasn't. Instead, it was wrapped in felt to make its sound and vibration softer. However, by the time the church was restored in 2008–2009, the felt had long since rotted away. Now, the full, loud sound of the bell can be heard at least three times every day.
Awards for Restoration Work
Since the church reopened in 2009, the restoration work has received a lot of praise and many awards. These awards came from groups in Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. Some of these include:
- The Aisling Award 2009 (Northern Ireland) for Belfast Brand
- The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Award 2010 for Building Conservation
- The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Award 2010 for Project of the Year
- The Royal Institute of British Architects Award 2010
- The Civic Trust Award 2010
- The Royal Society of Ulster Architects Conservation Award 2010
- The Irish Georgian Society Award 2010
