Shrewsbury or why to adapt a neo-gothic cathedral to the needs of the 21st century

Shrewsbury Cathedral, which has reopened its doors after the several months of renovation workwhich include a new chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy, a chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and the expansion of its facilities..

As explained by Bishop Mark Davies, the purpose of the renovation has been to preparing the temple for the mission of evangelization in the 21st centuryThe museum's facilities, so that visitors can get a glimpse of the beauty and joy of the Catholic faith for themselves.

For the new hermitage, located in front of the cathedral square, we designed a bas-relief of Our Lady of Mercy, an ancient English devotion dating back to the Middle Ages and beloved in Shrewsbury. The Virgin, seated on a bench, points with her right hand to her heart while holding the child, who looks innocently at a wooden cross.

In the cathedral complex a residential area has been created for young men who feel the call to the priesthood. This space includes a common room and a new Blessed Sacrament chapel, for the construction of which the bishop asked that the best materials be reserved.

The chapel furnishings, designed and crafted by Granda, include: the altarpiece, a relief of Our Lady of Mercy, the tabernacle, the altar candlesticks, the Eucharistic lamps, the altar, the lectern and the statues of St. John Paul II and the Holy Curé of Ars placed on the sides of the altar.. The relief of the altarpiece presents the image of the Virgin Mary crowned with the Child, assisted by two cherubs, who welcomes priestly vocations under her mantle.

Shrewsbury Cathedral began construction in 1853 and was dedicated by Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman in 1856.

The original design of the cathedral was elaborated by E.W Pugin at the request of John Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, but both died before construction of the cathedral began.. The count's heir continued the project by entrusting it to Pugin's eldest son, who also took up the work his father had begun.

Among the cathedral's greatest treasures are the stained-glass windows from Margaret Rope, an artist of the Arts and Crafts movement who was born in Shrewsbury in 1882 and later entered a convent of Carmelite nuns.