| St John the Evangelist Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
 St John the Evangelist Church | |
| 51°32′02″N0°06′12″W / 51.534°N 0.1033°W /51.534; -0.1033 | |
| OS grid reference | TQ316833 |
| Location | Islington |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Website | Official website |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | John the Evangelist |
| Consecrated | 26 June 1873 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II listed |
| Designated | 29 September 1972[1] |
| Architect | Joseph John Scoles |
| Style | Romanesque Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 27 September 1841 |
| Completed | 26 June 1843[2] |
| Administration | |
| Province | Westminster |
| Archdiocese | Westminster |
| Deanery | Islington[3] |
| Parish | Islington |
St John the Evangelist Church is aCatholicParishchurch inIslington, London. It was built from 1841 to 1843, seven years before theReestablishment of the Catholic hierarchy in 1850. It was designed byJoseph John Scoles, with parts of the interior byEdward Armitage. Architecturally, it is in theRomanesque Revival style. It is located on Duncan Terrace to the east ofUpper Street close to the centre of Islington. It is aGrade II listed building.[4]
After theEnglish Reformation, during the time ofrecusancy, until theRoman Catholic Relief Act 1829, Catholics were recorded by the government authorities as being in Islington. In 1577 and 1588, a few Catholics were reported. In 1584, a Catholic priest,Thomas Worthington was arrested in Islington. Other priests were reported to be hiding in the area: a Fr Williams and Thomas Clarke in 1592, and three stayed around 1600. In 1626, evidence of aCatholic Mass was discovered in Islington. In 1680, two Catholics were reported to be in Islington, and one in 1708. In 1733, a small community of converts was founded in the area by a Fr Christopher Piggot. In the late 1700s, three or four Catholics were reported to exist. In 1837, priests came fromSt Mary Moorfields and built a school in Duncan Street. In 1839, a chapel was built in the school. By 1840, there were 600 Catholics recorded in Islington, who were mostly migrants from Ireland.[5]
With thecongregation continuing to grow, a larger church was needed. On 27 September 1841, the foundation stone of the church was laid and blessed byBishop Thomas Griffiths, theVicar Apostolic of the London District. The architect of the church was the same person who designed the school chapel,Joseph John Scoles. He also designed many other notable churches such as theChurch of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street andSt Francis Xavier Church, Liverpool, for theJesuits. Whereas he was mainly behind the construction of churches in theGothic Revival style, St John the Evangelist Church was in theRomanesque Revival style, and was influenced by themother church of the Jesuits, theChurch of the Gesù. However, it was not without criticism. According toHistoric England,Augustus Pugin "castigated" the church calling it "the most original combination of modern deformity that has been executed for some time past".[2] Nevertheless, the architectJoseph Hansom defended the building in the architecture journal,The Builder, stating that Pugin needed saving "from himself", and that the church is "fine and noble".[6][7] On 26 June 1843, the church was opened in a ceremony presided by Bishop Griffiths, but the two towers on the front of the church were not finished. They were designed by Scoles to be symmetrical, but when they were finished in 1877, they were made asymmetrical, as decided by the priest at that time, CanonOakeley. The church wasconsecrated on 26 June 1873.[2]
In 1855, what became the Sacred Heart chapel was painted. In 1859, the fresco in the St Francis of Assisi side chapel was painted byEdward Armitage. From 1861 to 1862, he went on to paint the fresco of Jesus and hisapostles in theapse of the church. In 1872, thealtar andtabernacle were installed. They were designed byGoldie and Child and built byThomas Earp. In 1882, the St Francis chapel was further furnished according to designs ofJoseph Connolly. In 1884, thestations of the cross was added. In the 1960s and 1970s, further changes were made to the church. From 1963 to 1964, the organ was rebuilt. From 1977 to 1978, the crypt was excavated. In 1973, the church was reordered with the altar installed in its current position.[2]
The church is next to St John the Evangelist Primary School. The church has four SundayMasses at 6:00 pm on Saturday and at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm and 6:30 pm on Sunday.[8]
Media related toChurch of St John the Evangelist, Islington at Wikimedia Commons
