Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (Roman Catholic), Liverpool

A highlight near the end of the one-day pilgrimage walk to Liverpool's Anglican cathedral, the short walk between the two follows the aptly named Hope Street.‍

Highlights

• Peaceful Lutyens crypt
• Site of relic displays

By way of contrast, or perhaps complement, to the city’s Anglican cathedral, the Roman Catholic building often serves an entirely traditional pilgrimage role at the heart of this city: a place for relics.

Pilgrims came in their thousands to pray beside the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux in 2009 and St John Bosco in 2013.

The cathedral otherwise does not have a permanent shrine of its own, but plenty else is here to draw in a pilgrim, and indeed a new pilgrim route has been established to do just that, the 30-mile Way of Blessed Dominic Barberi and St Edmund Arrowsmith. In another contrast to the vast Anglican block up the road, the most obvious feature of the cathedral is its circular design.

Thanks to this open space, on entry the eye is immediately drawn to the altar, an imposing white stone sculpture made of marble imported from the Balkans. Were it not for such devotional focus, one could almost say this building has more of a reformed feeling than the Anglican cathedral, but the sheer weight of this monolithic altar keeps the sacramental life of the church at the forefront.

Like its counterpart, it is also dedicated to the Saviour, in this case, the Cathedral of Christ the King. In a pleasing addition to the atmosphere of the building, the tower windows above the middle of the congregation are stained in shades of the three primary colours: red, yellow, and blue, representing the three persons of the Trinity, in part designed by John Piper. They are reflected on the floor below by carpets of the same hues.

There are 13 side chapels around the central hub, including one dedicated to St Columba. Each offers a place of quiet contemplation and prayer. Downstairs, the even quieter devotional space of the Lutyens Crypt is held in great esteem by the community, a secluded space that is sometimes called the city’s ‘third cathedral.’ Tickets are required for this part only, the price entirely justified by the collection of sacred vessels and objects on display.

The building was completed at breakneck speed over just five years from 1962 to 1967 and immediately began to show it, with numerous repair works required almost immediately. Still, it holds together, a circular symbol of unity that lingers in the mind.

Directions‍

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3 5TQ‍

www.liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk‍

W3W: towers.alone.twice

GPS: 53.4048N 2.9687W

The cathedral is normally open 8 am-6 pm, sometimes closing at 5 pm on Sundays in the winter. Entry to the Lutyens Crypt and its treasury costs £5.