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St Richard of Chichester Church, Chichester facts for kids

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St Richard's Church
St Richard of Chichester Church
St Richard of Chichester's Church, Cawley Road, Chichester (NHLE Code 1392318).JPG
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OS grid reference SU8622004416
Location Chichester, West Sussex
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website StRichardsChichester.co.uk
History
Status Active
Dedication Richard of Chichester
Consecrated 21 March 1998
Architecture
Functional status Parish church
Heritage designation Grade II listed
Designated 13 November 2007
Architect(s) Tomei & Maxwell
Completed 19 March 1958
Administration
Deanery Cathedral
Diocese Arundel and Brighton
Province Southwark

St Richard of Chichester Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Chichester, West Sussex, England. This church was built in 1958. It has the biggest collection of stained glass windows made by an artist named Gabriel Loire in the whole United Kingdom!

You can find the church on Market Avenue, right next to St Richard's Catholic Primary School. It's also a 'Grade II listed building,' which means it's an important historical building protected by law.

A Look Back in Time

St Richard of Chichester Church, Chichester by Basher Eyre Geograph 2322350
Inside the church

The First Church

Before 1855, Catholic church services, called Mass, were held in a room at the Bedford Hotel in Chichester. A generous donation from the Countess of Newburgh helped fund a new, permanent church.

In 1855, a church was built in the Gothic Revival style. This style copied the look of old Gothic cathedrals. This first church stood on the corner of Market Avenue and Southgate until 1958.

The Church Today

The current St Richard of Chichester Church opened its doors on March 19, 1958. It replaced the older church. The architects who designed it were Lawrence Tomei and John Maxwell. They also designed another church called All Saints Church in Hersham.

Inside the church, you'll see a special row of windows high up, called a clerestory. These windows go all around the main part of the church (the nave) and the side sections (the transepts). The amazing stained glass windows were created by Gabriel Loire. He used a special method called dalle de verre, which means 'slab of glass'. This creates a complete story told through the pictures in the windows.

Other beautiful artworks in the church include oil paintings showing the Stations of the Cross. These tell the story of Jesus's last day. The altarpiece (a piece of art behind the altar), the baptistry (where baptisms happen), and six angels in the Blessed Sacrament chapel were all designed by David O’Connell.

Church Community

The priests from St Richard of Chichester Church also lead services at other churches nearby. These include Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Bosham, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Wilfrid's Church in Selsey, and St Peter's Church in East Wittering.

Since November 1, 2021, all these churches have become one big parish. They are now known as the Parish of Our Lady and the Saints of Sussex.

St Richard of Chichester Church holds three Sunday Masses. One is on Saturday evening at 6:00 pm, and two are on Sunday at 9:30 am and 6:30 pm. The other churches in the parish also have Sunday Masses at different times.

Images for kids

  • Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Bosham Lane, Bosham

    Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Bosham

  • St Peter's Church, East Wittering

    St Peter's Church, East Wittering

  • St. Wilfrid's Church, Selsey

    Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Wilfrid's Church, Selsey

See also

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