Nottingham neo -Gothic cathedral will shine again thanks to a historical subsidy

A new project, the Restoring Pugin Project (Restore Pugin project), which seeks to restore the original design of a popular English cathedral, aims to attract people to encounter “a representation of the glory of God.”

The San Bernabé Cathedral of Nottingham has received a subsidy of 1.69 million pounds (approximately 2.2 million dollars) of the National Lottery Heritage Fund (National Lottery Heritage Fund) as part of your project Restoring Puginwhich has a total budget of 2.3 million pounds (approximately 3 million). This conservation program aims to restore the original decorative scheme of the architect Augustus Pugin in the cathedral.

Having previously received financing from the same fund, this new and substantial subsidy will allow significantly moving in the project and reaching a much broader audience.

Pugin is known as the father of the Victorian Gothic Renaissance, an iconic style of medieval architecture. Pugin, who worked on emblematic English buildings such as the “Big Ben” and the Westminster Palace, considered the San Bernabé cathedral in Nottingham as her masterpiece.

Built in 1841, the cathedral is classified as a grade II building, one of the three categories that, according to Historic England“particularly important and more than special interest is assigned.” About 5.8 % of cataloged buildings receive this category.

The Cathedral is an especially important building, not only for the United Kingdom, but also for international visitors.

Restoration work is expected to help strengthen the profile of the cathedral in Nottingham as a place of reception and community. This was stated by the Bishop of Nottingham, Mons. Patrick McKinney, who expressed his desire that the project “attracts more and more people of all ages and backgrounds, especially to local inhabitants” to the cathedral.

The Prelate also expressed his hope that the Catholic churches of Nottingham “become increasingly open to the world.”

The project will also offer various training opportunities in heritage and skills development for people of all ages, since it seeks to return the original splendor to the east of the cathedral. Among the creative ideas to involve the public including an innovative video game called Pugin’s Revivalnew informative panels, touch screens, audiovisual materials and a virtual reality experience.

The director of Restoring Pugin ProjectJane Hellings spoke with CNA – an English assistance of Ewtn News – about project plans to help the cathedral connect with the local population and foster faith.

“It is definitely a place of living faith. It is, to a large extent, a representation of the glory of God. We are working with refugees and migrants, and with students who have special educational needs and disabilities. The video game will be implemented in schools as part of a vocational package that includes ideas about how to develop a career in the field of heritage,” said Hellings.

The year 2025 will be especially significant, since 175 years will be completed since the Great Catholic Church designed by Pugin was raised to the cathedral range.

Hellings, who hopes to involve more than 20,000 people in the project, expressed his desire for people to access faith in a unique way.

“Many of these visitors will come to turn on a candle, to be at peace for a little while. Others will come to see what is in the cathedral, what has happened and why Catholics do things in a certain way – why they kneel, why they incline their heads. The simple fact of sitting in silence in a section separated helps people to reflect.”

The Diocese of Nottingham and the community of the Cathedral have enthusiastically received the subsidy of the National Lottery.

“This help will allow Nottingham’s cathedral to be increasingly connected to the population of this city,” said McKinney, adding that he hopes that visitors experience a “living faith and peace in the middle of the city, and also that it is a sign of hope in these difficult times that we are living.”

Los Friends of Nottingham Cathedral (Friends of the Cathedral of Nottingham), whose mission is to promote the ministry and mission of the cathedral within the diocese and the community in general, encouraged people to visit Pugin’s “masterpiece”.

“The cathedral is one of Nottingham’s best kept secrets, and Pugin considered her her masterpiece,” said Ron Lynch, president of the group.

“We would like more people to come to know the heritage of this fantastic building, but also to share the tranquility it offers in the bustling center of the city,” he added.

Sophie Andreae, historian of the architecture and vice president of the Heritage Committee of the Catholic Episcopal Conference of England and Wales, praised the achievement of the Diocese of Nottingham to obtain the subsidy.

“This is the first great subsidy of National Lottery Heritage Fund For a Catholic cathedral in recent years, ”Andreae said in a statement.

“The conservation program to restore the original decorative scheme of Pugin will be transformative. Both the heritage fund and the Diocese of Nottingham must be congratulated for their vision and determination to move forward this project,” he concluded.

Translated and adapted by ACI Press. Originally published in CNA.