Just two a minute away from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street (on Duke Street) , stands what is arguably the most unique Catholic Church/Cathedral in London. It's not as imposing as Westminster Cathedral, neither is it anywhere near as famous. The Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile is the cathedral of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarchate in Great Britain.
This Cathedral is quite different to what Roman Catholics in Great Britain are accustomed to. It is not of the Latin (Roman) Rite, as are the rest of our Catholic Cathedrals in the UK, it is of the Ukrainian Rite. This is an eastern Rite of the Catholic Church. The practices of the Ukrainian Catholic Church are quite similar to those of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, however its beliefs are in line with Catholicism rather than Orthodoxy.
The Ukrainian Rite Catholic Church is the second largest rite of Catholicism (behind the Latin Rite)
The building itself had unique origins as well. It was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and built in 1891. Initially, the building was a congregational church, but it was sold to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster in 1967. The Archdiocese of Westminster then offered the building to the Ukrainian Catholics to serve as their Cathedral.
Unfortunately, I was not able to enter the Cathedral to get any photos of the interior, so sadly I've got to stick to posting shots of the exterior of this Cathedral. 
(Cathedral from the West Face)
(Cathedral from the South East)
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2 comments:
Nice pictures - I had never seen or heard of this Cathedral before. It really seems a world away from Oxford Street!
Hmmm, russ the thing is, you see these things and dont think much abnout them..c.ause there are loads of old buildings in London...right?...
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