St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St Mary, Newcastle upon Tyne
The Cathedral with Cardinal Hume statue in foreground (March 2006)
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Location	Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Country	England
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	www.stmaryscathedral.org.uk
History
Status	Cathedral
Consecrated	1844
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Years built	1842–1844
Completed	21 August 1844
Specifications
Number of spires	1
Administration
Diocese	Hexham and Newcastle (since 1850)
Province	Liverpool

The Cathedral Church of St Mary is a Catholic church in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the main church for the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. This means it is where the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle has his official seat.

The famous architect Augustus Welby Pugin designed the cathedral. It was built between 1842 and 1844. The building is a great example of the Gothic Revival style. This style brings back the look of medieval Gothic buildings. St Mary's Cathedral is also a Grade I listed building, which means it is very important historically.

Outside the cathedral, there is a special monument. It is dedicated to Cardinal Basil Hume. Queen Elizabeth II opened this monument garden in 2002. St Mary's Cathedral is one of the tallest buildings in Newcastle.

History of St Mary's Cathedral
- Becoming a Cathedral
St Mary's Cathedral Today
Gallery
See also

History of St Mary's Cathedral

St Mary's Church in Newcastle first opened in August 1844. Many poor immigrants in the Tyneside area helped pay for it. They often gave small amounts like halfpennies. William Riddell was the priest at the church at that time. The beautiful stained glass windows were made by William Wailes in 1843. Pugin, the architect, provided the designs for these windows.

Becoming a Cathedral

In 1850, the Catholic Church in England and Wales was reorganized by Pope Pius IX. A new area called the See of Hexham was created. Bishop William Hogarth became the first bishop of this new area. He needed a main church for his seat, called a cathedra. St Mary's was chosen for this important role.

This made St Mary's the first cathedral in Newcastle in 1850. The Anglican St. Nicholas' Cathedral did not become a cathedral until 1882.

On August 21, 1860, the cathedral was officially dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. In 1861, the name of the area changed to the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Since then, many bishops have been installed at St Mary's.

In 1872, a tower and a tall spire were added to the cathedral. These were designed by Dunn & Hansom. The money for these additions came from the will of Elizabeth Dunn.

St Mary's Cathedral Today

The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is an important leader for the Catholic community. Bishop Kevin John Dunn served in this role until March 2008. He became bishop in May 2004.

Seamus Cunningham became the next bishop. He was officially made a bishop on March 20, 2009, at St Mary's Cathedral. He was the thirteenth bishop for the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.

In April 2006, Reverend Michael Campion left his role as Dean of the cathedral. Reverend Peter Leighton took over this position. He used to be the Catholic Chaplain at the University of Durham. Under his guidance, the cathedral went through a big renovation. This work helped bring back the original beauty of the building. The first part of the renovation finished in September 2010. The second part finished in February 2013. This included adding a new organ with many different sounds.

On February 4, 2019, Pope Francis announced a new bishop. Bishop Robert Byrne became the next Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. He took over after Bishop Seamus Cunningham resigned. Bishop Robert Byrne was previously an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.