Welcome to the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist
The Cathedral Church is the Mother Church of the Diocese of East Anglia, and the parish church of central and south-west Norwich. We are open daily 7.30am – 6pm and all visitors are welcome, be it for attendance of Mass, quiet prayer, a venue for celebration, to marvel at the architecture or visit the shop and café.
A Cathedral is the seat of the local bishop, who is the successor of the Apostles, and the guarantor of our Catholic communion with the Church. His chair, or cathedra, sits in our sanctuary, and from there, and from the sacred altar, he presides over the local church of East Anglia, by the grace of God, and by appointment of the Apostolic See.
Completed in 1910, our Cathedral Church was designed by George Gilbert Scott, junior, and completed after his death by his younger brother John Oldrid Scott. It is designed in the Gothic Revival style and takes inspiration from many buildings of the first half of the thirteenth century, but the blend of ideas is not to be seen anywhere else. The result is a marvellously conceived place of worship and prayer.
Originally built as the parish church of Norwich, the Cathedral Church was the generous gift to the Catholics of Norwich of Henry, Duke of Norfolk fulfilling a vow made on pilgrimage. Canon Richard Duckett, the parish priest of Norwich from 1876, worked with the Duke in the commissioning of the building. The Duke was actively involved in every aspect of its design, from its initial conception in the early 1870s to its completion and dedication in 1910. It remained a simple parish church until 1976, when by the command of Pope St Paul VI, it became the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of East Anglia. It is the second largest Catholic cathedral in the country.
Our patron saint, St John the Baptist, was the forerunner of Christ, who announced the coming of Jesus, and who brought his first disciples to him. This is the vocation of every Christian, and of every parish: to announce the truth of Christ.
The Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist announces this truth in stone and glass. Rising in majesty above the city skyline, the Cathedral’s external grandeur and magnificent interior, especially its fine stonework and beautiful stained glass, announce the presence of God to all who seek Him. We welcome all who wish to visit this Cathedral, whether a place of historical or architectural interest, or as a place of prayer and worship. For in this Cathedral, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ awaits with love all those who seek to encounter him.
Fr Alan Hodgson
Dean of the Cathedral Church
