Blackburn Cathedral, Blackburn, Lancashire

A pair of one-day pilgrimage routes pay homage to this ancient building, nine miles from Whalley Abbey or seven miles from Hollinshead holy well

Highlights

• Modern Cathedral in an Ancient Church- Medieval Carving of Adam and Eve

Centuries of devotion and long-running building projects culminated in Blackburn’s elevation to cathedral status in 1926, on a site that has seen numerous churches over the past millennium. At the heart of the cathedral is a former parish church building, which was reused as the nave, while extension work eventually concluded another 50 years later. It remains dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, continuing the legacy of the older churches in the town.

As a relatively modern cathedral with an ancient church, Blackburn never housed any notable shrine. However, there are other attractions for a pilgrim to ponder, including the modernist lantern tower and aluminium spire. The tower was rebuilt in 1998 out of natural stone, a more pleasingly authentic material than the 1960s concrete original. Its stained glass lends a warm glow to the roof of the building.

There are eight misericords, or wooden choir stalls, which date from medieval times, perhaps rescued from Whalley Abbey. These are now found in the north transept. Perhaps the most devotional object in this building, in a traditional sense at least, is one of the smallest: a delicate portrait of Adam and Eve about to eat the forbidden fruit, Eve’s arms around Adam’s bare waist as if to symbolise their vulnerability and joint enterprise. It is relatively unusual to see a biblical scene depicted on a misericord, which are usually carved with exotic beasts and surreal scenes of animals behaving like humans.

On the eastern exterior of the cathedral, at the other end of the scale from the little scene of Eden, a vast circular artwork has been placed facing the cathedral plaza, called the Healing of the Nations by sculptor Mark Jalland, a rather overwhelming steel and copper design but one that lights up at night through fibre optic cables. Inside the building, by way of contrast, stands the huge sculpture of Christ the Worker above the cathedral’s main entrance, its metal design said to be inspired by the weaving looms that have played such a part in the area’s industrial history.

Directions

Blackburn Cathedral, Cathedral Close, Blackburn BB1 5AA

http://www.blackburncathedral.com

W3W: year.tops.merit

GPS: 53.7473N 2.4813W

The cathedral is open Mon-Sat from 8am to the end of that day’s final service, and on Sunday for a range of services.