St Alban and St Stephen's Church or Ss Alban and Stephen Church is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, Hertfordshire, England. Although it was built from 1903 to 1905, it was the third attempt to build a permanent local Catholic church in St Albans. It was designed by John Kelly of Kelly & Birchall in the

Italian style Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

. It is located on Beaconsfield Road next to the

St Albans City railway station St Albans City railway station is one of two stations serving St Albans in Hertfordshire, England, the other being . It is the larger of the two, on the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras, served by Govia Thameslink trains on the Tha ...

in the city centre.

History

Old Church

In 1840, a mission was started by Fr William Crook, who travelled to the city from St Edmund's College, Ware. He hired a room at the White Hart Inn on Holywell Hill. In 1847, plans were made to build a church in the city by Alexander Raphael. He commissioned Charles Parker to design the church, who also designed St Raphael's Church, Surbiton and was a pupil of

Jeffry Wyatville Sir Jeffry Wyatville (3 August 1766 – 18 February 1840) was an English architect and garden designer. Born Jeffry Wyatt into an established dynasty of architects, in 1824 he was allowed by King George IV to change his surname to Wyatville ...

. Raphael bought the site next to Verulam House for the church, but Raphael died in 1850 and did not complete payment for the church. The site was then sold to Isabelle Worley of Sopwell House. She paid for the church to be completed according to the original plan, however, as an

Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

. In 1859, the church was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

. The church later became

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, before later becoming private offices. It is a Grade II listed building.The Old Church
from British Listed Buildings, retrieved 25 May 2022

London Road church

When the Old Church became Anglican, the original mission ended. In the 1860s, a mission was restarted, led by a former Anglican, Fr George Bampfield, who came from Barnet to St Albans. He celebrated

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

in a cottage on London Road. On 22 June 1877, the foundation stone of a new church was laid by

Cardinal Henry Manning Henry Edward Manning (15 July 1808 – 14 January 1892) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church, and the second Archbishop of Westminster from 1865 until his death in 1892. He was ordained in the Church of England as a young man, but co ...

, the

Archbishop of Westminster The archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales and, as a matter of custom, is elected presid ...

. It was funded by a Major James Gape and designed by the architects T. J. Willson and Samuel Joseph Nicholl. Nicholl also designed

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, Wellingborough Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. It was built from 1884 to 1886 by Samuel Joseph Nicholl in the Gothic Revival style. It is located on Raneleigh Road, between Knox R ...

and St Charles Borromeo Church, Westminster. On 22 June 1878, the church was opened by Cardinal Manning. It had a capacity of 80 people and cost a total of £1,100.

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

St Albans - St Alban and St Stephen
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 25 May 2022

Current church

Since 1899, the Catholic community in St Albans was served by the

Missionaries of the Sacred Heart The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC; ; ) are a missionary congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1854 by Jules Chevalier at Issoudun, France, in the Diocese of Bourges. The motto of the Missionaries of the S ...

. By 1900, the church was no longer large enough to accommodate the increasing

congregation Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...

and there was no space around the church to build an extension. The priest at the time was Fr Michael Tierney. He received permission from Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, the

to build the current church and sell the church on London Road. On 22 July 1903, Bishop Algernon Stanley, auxiliary bishop of Westminster laid the foundation stone. The architect was John Kelly. The construction was done by local builders, Christopher Miskin & Sons. On 1 January 1905, the church was opened by

Francis Bourne Francis Alphonsus Bourne (1861–1935) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the fourth Archbishop of Westminster from 1903 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1911. Biography Early life Franci ...

, Archbishop of Westminster. From 1965 to 1967, the church was enlarged. The architectural firm of Broadbent, Hastings, Reid & Todd designed the extensions and the total cost came to £70,000. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was extended, the old

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

was demolished and replaced with a larger one with side chapels. Side aisles, a bell tower, a choir gallery and a larger

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

were added. There was an old school to the back of the church that was demolished and replaced with a parish hall and

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

. In 1974, a new presbytery was built. With the extensions, the church's capacity went from 400 people to 600 people. On 4 May 1977, the church was

Parish

In June 2019, the

handed the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

back to the

Diocese of Westminster Diocese of Westminster may refer to: * Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, since 1850, with seat at Westminster Cathedral * Diocese of Westminster (Church of England) The Diocese of Westminster was a short-lived diocese of the Church of Engl ...

, who continue to serve the church. The church has four Sunday Masses at 6:00pm on Saturday and at 9:30am, 11:30am and 6:00pm on Sunday. One Sunday Mass is celebrated at nearby St John Fisher School in Marshalswick at 9:00am.St Albans
from

, retrieved 25 May 2022

Interior

Interior of the Church of SS Alban and Stephen 03.jpg, Interior Interior of the Church of SS Alban and Stephen 04.jpg,

Organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

Interior of the Church of SS Alban and Stephen 05.jpg,

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Alban and Saint Stephen's Church Saint Albans Buildings and structures in St Albans Roman Catholic churches in Hertfordshire 1877 establishments in England History of St Albans Roman Catholic churches completed in 1905 Italianate architecture in England 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Italianate church buildings in the United Kingdom English churches dedicated to St Alban