St Anne's Cathedral
St Anne’s Cathedral
Donegall Street
Belfast
BT1 2HB
Belfast Cathedral, known locally as St Annes Cathedral, is a Cathedral of the Church of Ireland.
It is unusual in serving two separate Dioceses, Connor and Down & Dromore. and so has not one, but two, Bishop’s seats.
Plans for the project to build the Cathedral began in 1895 with designs of a Romanesque style….with the foundation stone laid in 1899. The Nave of the Cathedral was only raised in June 1904.
The Twenties saw progress in the construction of the Cathedral- crypt, temporary choir, preparations for Eastward extension, West Front and Baptistery with additions right through to 1981.
Interesting Details
St Anne’s Cathedral houses the Tomb of Edward Carson.
Carson was born in Dublin in 1854.
He trained as a Barrister.
He led the anti Home rule movement in Westminster as an MP.
A natural leader he came to dominate the Unionist cause in Ulster. He was one of the few people, who was not a monarch, to receive a British State funeral, which took place in St Anne's in October 1935.
His Tomb is the only tomb within the Cathedral and its presence there had to be permitted by a special Act of Parliament to this end.
The tomb is railed in Bronze and is marked by a massive, but simple, Granite stone from the Mourne Mountains, bearing one word inscribed thereon…Carson.
A memorial Plaque is placed above.
