St. Molua's Church of Ireland Church, 645 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, Co.Antrim, BT4 3LR

St Molua's Church of Ireland is a large hall-style church built in 1961–62, designed by local architect Denis O'Donoghue Hanna (1901–1971). It stands on the southern side of the Upper Newtownards Road, on a site slightly lower than road level and directly opposite the grounds of the Stormont Estate. The building is orientated north-west to south-east and is constructed of rustic brick on a steel frame, with a pitched roof of concrete tiles and cast-metal rainwater goods.

The parish of Stormont was established in the late 1950s to serve the rapidly expanding housing in the area. The Diocese of Down and Dromore purchased the site in 1957 for £1,537. Post-war government restrictions on building materials had prevented the construction of new churches in the Diocese, but by 1959 these restrictions had been relaxed. The parish was officially constituted on 1st January 1960, and the congregation initially met in a temporary church hall dedicated on 16th April 1960. Hanna submitted his designs to the Select Vestry in June 1960, describing the approach as "Modernist with roots in the traditions of the Church." Tenders for both the church and its hall — also designed by Hanna — were invited in March 1961. The foundation stone of the church was laid on 30th September 1961 by the wife of the Reverend F. J. Mitchell, the church hall having had its foundation stone laid on 17th June of the same year. The hall opened on 3rd March 1962, and the church was consecrated on 3rd November 1962 by the Bishop of Down and Dromore. The total cost of construction came to £60,000. The church is dedicated to St Molua, a 6th-century priest who trained at Bangor Monastery and established a number of churches throughout Ireland.

The principal elevation faces north-west (the ecclesiastical west end) and is dominated by a projecting shouldered gable with a large rectangular window divided into smaller panes above the entrance. Six timber-panelled doors with carved square handles form the entrance, above which are six brass engravings by James McKendry, each depicting two figures of angels with figures representing the workers who designed and built the church at their feet. Three tall, thin spires rise from the ecclesiastical west end: a taller central spire rises from a brick plinth set back on the ridge, with two smaller spires rising from the shoulders of the gable to either side. All three have supporting columns and a swept-eaves detail, are clad in cedar shingles, and are surmounted by a simple metal cross and ball detail at the apex. To either side of the main gable, slightly curved brick walls form single-storey wings with flat felted roofs, timber fascias and polycarbonate skylights. The curved wall of the eastern wing bears a stone moulded panel representing the Holy Spirit, and the western wing bears a panel representing the Eagle. Tall thin windows with plain glass face north-east and north-west from these projecting walls.

The north-east wall has a single-storey wing to its north end featuring five mouldings set in panels formed using brick headers. These depict: the Creation; Adam and Eve being driven from the Garden of Eden; St Molua curing his father of a cancerous foot; the protecting hands of God; and St Molua as a Bishop supervising the building of a church. The main wall behind this wing is of recessed rustic brick, with the central section featuring tall slot windows set at 45 degrees to the main wall, each with coloured glass and individual concrete lintels and cills. A two-storey projecting wing at the south end of this elevation has a pair of timber doors and two square windows at ground floor level on the north-west elevation, and five rectangular top-hung timber window openings with panelling below at ground floor level on the north-east elevation. Three square windows are also present on the south-east elevation.

The south-west wall mirrors the north-east elevation, except that the two-storey projecting wing here has a double-height timber and glazed door and screen on the north-west elevation, accessed by a modern ramp. Beneath the windows on this elevation is a marble memorial plaque inscribed "Jesus Christ the same yesterday today and forever." The moulded panels on the single-storey wing of this elevation depict: the Rose of Sharon and the Lamb of God; the pelican feeding its young; the fish with the tree that grew from the mustard seed; the Lion of Judah with Christ bruising the head of Satan; and the True Vine and the chalice.

The south-east elevation features a curved triple apse arrangement. The apses to the east and west are formed in timber with a glazed section at ground floor level and vertically clad timber with decorative silvered motifs representing the "tares" above, with a glazed upper section using obscure glass throughout; both have flat roofs, a metal downstand and a brick plinth. The central section is of rustic brick in projecting panels divided by narrow recesses, culminating in multiple gabled roof details that create a chevron pattern, with vertically boarded timber to the gables. Timber fascias and soffits, concrete tiles and ridges all abut the gable end wall with concrete skews.

The stone plaques on the exterior were designed by David Pettigrew, each with a specific symbolic meaning. The angels above the entrance symbolise the protection of Heaven, while the figures beneath them represent those who designed and built the church.

Internally, the walls are of rustic brick with patterned tiling to the floor and paintings on the ceiling. The interior is dominated by a large mural on the wall of the apse depicting Christ in Majesty, painted by Desmond Kinney. The main theme of the interior decoration is described as God's plan for the redemption of man, with illustrative panels on the ceiling relating the life of Christ. Celtic designs feature on the metal door handles.

The church's organ was constructed using parts salvaged from St Matthias' Parish Church in Dublin, which closed in 1956; the instrument was crafted from these parts by Charles A. Smethurst of Manchester. The church bells were acquired following an appeal in the local press, one having come from Hollymount Parish Church in County Mayo, though this was replaced in 1987 by a recorded peal of bells.

Paul Larmour described the building as "a big hall church in a mixed style with something of Coventry Cathedral in the serrated side windows," noting the "amazingly tall and thin slated finials and spire of oriental or Slavic inspiration." In 1964 the church was named by the RCB Artistic and Ecclesiological Committee as one of only a dozen churches in the Diocese possessing architectural interest. Following the completion of the buildings, St Molua's Church and Church Hall were valued at £1,400 under the Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland. The church was listed at category B+ in 1994. High-level repairs were carried out in early 2014, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, including replacement of the cedar shingles on the spires and replacement of the windows in the side gallery and vestry.

The contemporaneous church halls, also designed by Hanna, are set to the south of the site. The northern boundary facing the Upper Newtownards Road is defined by a brick wall with a curved gate screen, two sets of gate piers — with decorative lamp standards to the inner set — and a pair of ornate metal gates. Hedging forms the other boundaries. Behind the gates the surface is tarmac, with grassed areas immediately in front of the main entrance doors, to the east and west of the site, and to the rear.