St Mary's Church, Willesden, London
Church of St Mary Willesden, Neasden Lane, Willesden, London NW10 2TS
The restored shrine to Our Lady is a local destination for London pilgrims.
Highlights
- Saxon-era holy well
- Restored statue of miracle-working Black Virgin
- Site of Opus Dei dedication
Opus Dei, the much-discussed offshoot of the Catholic Church, has a surprising link to the Anglican church in Willesden. At first glance this appealing stone church at the end of Neasden Lane might not look like a centre of national spiritual significance, but Willesden has many surprises once you delve into its history – both recent and very ancient. It is on the new Westminster Way of Two Cathedrals and Four Shrines pilgrim route.
The church has the unusual distinction of being built over a holy well, which is still in active use. The source itself is inaccessible but the water is piped up to a small fountain in the chancel, and turning a tap produces a gentle flow of the holy water. The name ‘Willesden’ refers to a well by a hill in Anglo-Saxon, indicating a great age for the holy source here. Church records indicate a foundation in 938, during the reign of King Athelstan who built so many English churches. The modern fountain sits next to the site of Willesden’s original shrine statue of Our Lady, which was referred to in the middle ages as the Black Virgin of Willesden. It vanished at the Reformation of course, burned at Chelsea in 1538, in a bid to suppress veneration of both the holy well and the miracle-working effigy.
Like so many other Marian shrines, it was revived in the 20th century and now makes an evocative place to celebrate one of medieval England’s most celebrated places of pilgrimage. Other shrines have been reinstated elsewhere, including a similar shrine at Ipswich in the Anglican church of Saint Mary at the Elms (www.stmaryattheelms.org.uk), but Willesden has both well and statue, comparable in some ways to Little Walsingham.
A new statue of the Black Virgin was carved by sculptor Catharini Stern and installed in the church in 1972, now situated at the foot of the chancel arch, with a place to light candles alongside. The shrine has again started to attract pilgrims in recent years, and the church holds an annual pilgrimage in May through the local streets and back to the church.
It is also popular with London’s Catholic community, particularly members of Opus Dei, whose founder St Josemaria Escriva, sought out this shrine whenever he visited London. He even once held a dedication service here, when he recommitted the Opus Dei organization to the Blessed Virgin. It was his custom to perform this dedication service annually on the festival of the Assumption, 15 August, and in 1958 he chose Willesden as the venue.
That St Josemaria chose an Anglican church for such an important event should not be too surprising, since he was rather more tolerant in religious terms than some caricatures of Opus Dei suggests. He was originally a Spanish priest who believed that God can be found in the minutiae of everyday life and ran Opus Dei to promote that concept until his death in 1975. He was canonized in 2002. Controversial though it is, Opus Dei remains an influential part of the Roman Catholic movement.
The shrine is still visited by members of Opus Dei in London, along with many other Christians drawn by such a surprising heritage. There is a Catholic church in the area with its own shrine statue, but the Anglican church is the original site, and pilgrims of all denominations visit it and still take away holy water in bottles. The church is usually kept locked but has at least one service a day when the doors are open.
Directions
Church of St Mary Willesden, Neasden Lane, Willesden, London NW10 2TS
W3W: mime.hands.craft
GPS: 51.5489N 0.2500W
Neasden London Underground station 600m
The church is by the roundabout at the southern end of Neasden Lane. Though usually locked when not in use, the church holds services every day, with details on the website.
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Tom Jones
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Tom Jones
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