St Chad's Liturgy and Sacraments Homilies and Pastoral Letters Mass Times Prayers Sacraments Events Events Calendar Events Work with schools Schools Get involved Altar Servers Music St Chad's Cathedral Association Volunteers Latest News Liturgy and Newsletters The Cathedral Plan your visit St Chad - Fast Facts The History of St Chad's The Relics of St Chad Pugin Cathedral Bells The History of St Chad's Welcome Welcome to St Chad’s, the first Catholic Cathedral erected in Great Britain in 1841 following the Reformation of the 16th Century. St Chad’s was designed by the great Gothic Revivalist Augustus Welby Pugin, who was also responsible for the Palaces of Westminster and the iconic clock tower of Big Ben. The Cathedral is home to the relics of St Chad, which were originally interred in a shrine at Lichfield Cathedral in the year 672 AD. The Cathedral celebrated its centenary in 1941 and was designated a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII. St Chad’s is known across the world as a beautiful building with a remarkable history and a rich heritage. But it is first and foremost a House of God. St Chad’s is the Mother Church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham which covers five counties. It is a place for worship and prayer, a place where we can meet God and offer him our praise and thanksgiving and bring him our needs and concerns. Catholics believe that we all need God, and that we discover and know him through faith in his Son Jesus Christ. Jesus founded the Church so that his message of faith, hope and love could be passed on to every generation. Our mission at St Chad’s is to offer that message of faith to everyone. The History of St Chad's St Chad’s was built between 1839 and 1841 to serve the rapidly expanding Catholic population in Birmingham through the inspiration of Bishop Thomas Walsh, the Vicar Apostolic of the Central District. It replaced a Georgian classical chapel built in 1808 by William Hollins. The present Cathedral was designed in north German 13th century style by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852), the world famous pioneer of Gothic revival architecture, and was consecrated on 21 June 1841 by Bishop Walsh. The Cathedral is built of brick with Bath stone dressings. The south-west spire was added by Pugin’s eldest son, Edward Welby, in 1856 in memory of Canon John Moore (Administrator 1841-1848). St Chad’s was the first Catholic cathedral erected in England since the Reformation. It became the Cathedral formally in 1850 when Pope Pius IX restored the Catholic hierarchy of England and Wales. Cardinal John Henry Newman preached at Bishop William Ullathorne’s enthronement as the first Bishop of Birmingham and on many subsequent occasions. The Chapter of Canons was established in 1852. In 1941 St Chad’s was made a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII on the occasion of its centenary. A minor basilica is a church which enjoys a special association with the Pope and is entitled to have the papal coat-of-arms above the front door. The privileges of a basilica include the use of the symbols that are placed in the Cathedral on great occasions. The ‘conopoeum’, a small umbrella of red and gold silk, was formerly carried over the Pope when he travelled on horseback on official visits. The ‘conopoeum’ also surmounts the Cathedral coat-of-arms. The ‘tintinnabulum’ is a lattice-work tower containing a bell, which was used to warn people of the Pope’s approach. The Canons of the Chapter wear the scarlet and purple ‘cappa parva’ for choir dress. St Edward’s Chapel was added in 1933 by Sebastian Pugin Powell, Pugin’s grandson, as a memorial to Archbishop Edward Ilsley, 2nd Bishop and 1st Archbishop of Birmingham. In November 1940 a bomb came through the Cathedral roof, bounced on the floor and exploded when it hit the central heating pipes. The pipes burst and the water extinguished the bomb, thus saving the Cathedral from destruction. Manage Cookie Preferences