Thanksgiving Shrine Of Our Lady Of Lourdes

Thanksgiving Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes

A war memorial thanksgiving chapel built between 1955 and 1957, designed by F X Velarde and constructed by Eaves and Co. The building stands as a memorial to the Diocese of Lancaster's survival during World War II.

The shrine is constructed in Portland stone with a copper-clad roof and central fleche. It follows a near-rectangular plan consisting of a four-bay church with a single-bay narthex at the west end and a sanctuary apse at the east, flanked by projecting vestries. The west end is blind, dominated by round-arched timber double doors surmounted by a relief frieze of the Holy Trinity carved by David John. Pinnacles at each corner of the building depict Our Lady appearing to St Bernadette, Christ appearing to St Margaret Mary, St Thomas of Canterbury, and St Edward the Confessor. Those at the west end stand on fluted buttresses. The building features rectangular panels of glazing with alternating square and lozenge tracery patterns in red and blue glass, while the small vestry windows contain circular motifs in their tracery. The central fleche is adorned with gilded bands contrasting with the copper, and bears a central cross motif surmounted by a cross. York stone steps flanked by stone walls lead to the entrance.

The interior is similarly elaborate. Round-arched arcades clad in gold mosaic with cross motifs support a ceiling decorated in vivid blue, red, and gold. The floor is tiled with cross motifs. The raised sanctuary is reached by marble steps within a round-arched apse opening, with a marble floor incorporating mosaic panels. Bronze altar rails of Art Deco design relate stylistically to a glazed screen at the west end finished in lacquered bronze. The altar and reredos are carved from gris mouchete stone by David John.

The shrine was conceived by Bishop Thomas E Flynn as a thanksgiving chapel for the diocese's relatively unscathed survival through World War II. In September 1945, Bishop Flynn wrote that he had asked for prayers to Our Lady of Lourdes during the war's acute danger, and the diocese was "marvellously spared." He resolved that after the war the diocese would make an offering to show gratitude. The shrine cost £50,000, to which every parish in the diocese contributed. Blackpool was chosen for its central location and accessibility to visitors, and local builder William Eaves donated the site. The shrine was originally tended by nuns of the Congregation of Adoration of Mare Reparatrice and was later attended by the Blessed Sacrament Fathers. Velarde's design, while original, draws roots from Ancient Romanesque architecture. Though his St Theresa at Upholland, built in the same period, shares similar combinations of modern sculpture, gilded mosaic, and round-arched detailing, the shrine possesses a distinctive, diminutive jewel-like quality that transcends conventional church formulas.