St Peter's Church, Edinburgh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church |
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| 55°55′50″N 3°12′22″W / 55.9305°N 3.2062°W | |
| Location | Morningside, Edinburgh |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | StPetersRCChurchEdinburgh.org.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founder(s) | Canon John Gray Marc-André Raffalovitch |
| Dedication | Saint Peter |
| Events | Nave extended 1928-9 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Category A listed |
| Designated | 14 December 1970 |
| Architect(s) | Sir Robert Lorimer |
| Style | Italianate |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | St Giles |
| Archdiocese | St Andrews and Edinburgh |
| Province | St Andrews and Edinburgh |
St Peter's Church is a Catholic church located in Morningside, a part of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a parish within the Catholic community of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
A famous architect named Sir Robert Lorimer designed the church. It was built between 1906 and 1907. Later, from 1928 to 1929, the main part of the church, called the nave, was made bigger. You can find St Peter's Church at the corner of Falcon Avenue and Falcon Gardens. It is considered a very important historical building.
Contents
The Story of St Peter's Church
How the Church Began
St Peter's Church was started by two important people: Canon John Gray and Marc-André Raffalovitch. In 1901, John Gray decided to become a Catholic priest. He used to work as a librarian.
While he was a priest at another church in Edinburgh, St Patrick's, he planned to build St Peter's. Marc-André Raffalovitch helped by providing money for the project. He was a friend of the famous writer Oscar Wilde.
Building the Church
People in Morningside needed a new church for their community. So, in 1905, Archbishop James Smith asked Father Gray to lead this new church, St Peter's.
Father Gray then hired Robert Lorimer to design the building. Lorimer was a well-known architect who also designed other churches. Construction of St Peter's Church began in 1906. The church officially opened its doors on 25 April 1907.
In 1927, Robert Lorimer was given the title "Sir" for his work. The very next year, in 1928, they started to make the main part of the church, the nave, longer. Sir Robert Lorimer was in charge of this work too. The extension was finished in 1929.
Changes Over Time
After some big changes in the Catholic Church called the Second Vatican Council, some of the church's original furniture was removed. This furniture had been designed by Lorimer himself. For example, the metal rails around the altar, which had cool fish designs, were taken away. The beautiful marble altar itself has also changed a lot over time.
Life at the Parish
St Peter's Church holds a main Sunday service, called Mass, at 11:30 AM. During the week, from Monday to Friday, there are usually shorter services or Masses at 9 AM.
Since 2017, churches in Edinburgh have been working together more closely. They are grouped into "clusters" to share their resources better. St Peter's Church is part of Cluster 4. This group also includes St Columba's, Sacred Heart, and St Mark's churches.
