Peel Cathedral is built on higher land to the south west of the town centre and its square turreted tower stands above the town.
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The original cathedral on St Patrick’s Isle
was a roofless ruin by the C19th. There had been plans to restore it,
but in the end it was decided the task was too great and the money would
be better spent on a new building.
St German’s Church was built between 1879 and 1884 using the local red
sandstone. It is a large and impressive Victorian Gothic building. It
was eventually consecrated as a cathedral in 1980.
The cathedral gardens are being redeveloped to tell the story of
Christianity on the island from the arrival of the early Irish
Missionaries to the present day with a Peace Garden.
The inside is attractive with an arcade of Cheshire sandstone separating
the nave from the side aisles. Walls are whitewashed and uplighters at
the top of the pillars make the underside of the arches glow. The
clerestory windows contain plain glass.
At the back of the cathedral is a small treasury with a display of church silver from the C15th.
The great west window depicts the Nativity and was installed after a hurricane in 1903 blew in the original window.
The font is at the back of the nave and is a large square structure carved from Caen stone and supported on marble legs.
The crossing altar came from St Bridget’s Chapel at the Nunnery in Douglas. Above it is a beautiful gold corona
The pulpit is also carved from Caen stone. The carved wood screen in the
north transept was given in memory of a local headmistress. Mothers’
Union banners hang from the walls.
The organ is in the south transept. The menorah in front of it was made
by an Israeli blacksmith from spent missiles from the Israel/Palestine
conflicts for the Anne Frank Exhibition in 2010
The chancel apse is small compared with the rest of the cathedral. The
wood altar has an open carved front. Behind it is a painted reredos
carved from Caen stone with the four evangelists. On either side are
paintings of Old Testament figures.
The three apse windows show the Resurrection in the centre, with the
transfiguration on the left and the Ascension on the right.
The cathedral is open daily 9-6. It is on Derby Road, opposite the Town
Hall. There is parking on the roads near by. The nearest post code
is IM5 1JS and the grid reference is SC 247840.
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