Curious to know why this church bears two names? The Church of St Anselm and St Cecilia stands here a testament to faith. It is a living memorial to the Catholic presence in Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Let’s step back in time to understand St Cecilia’s Church’s origins. The story begins over three centuries ago. The present building, erected in 1909, is part of the Edwardian era’s Kingsway development.
Before this, the Sardinian Embassy Chapel stood nearby. On July 6th, 1909, the final Mass took place there. Since the early 1800s, it served openly as a parish church. British Catholics lived in the crowded area around Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The chapel was quietly and illegally a parish church before this.
Known as the Sardinian Chapel from 1720, that name faded by 1852. In 1853, it was named after Saint Anselm. Then in 1861, Father William O’Connor added St Cecilia. So the chapel honored both a saintly Archbishop of Canterbury and a virgin martyr. This dedication lasted until the chapel’s demolition in 1909. The present church proudly continues the protection of St Anselm and St Cecilia.
The old chapel disappeared to make way for the new Kingsway. Many 17th and 18th-century buildings also vanished between 1905 and 1910. Yet, memories of the Sardinian Chapel linger around its successor.
Notice how the Church of St Anselm and St Cecilia preserves some of the old chapel’s style. Inside, you will find reminders of the Sardinian Chapel. The Royal Sardinian coat-of-arms graces an interior wall by the south entrance. Tradition says the Lady Altar was the old chapel’s High Altar.
During the Blitz, disaster struck. On September 11th, 1940, the south part of the church suffered bombing. The Lady Altar and south aisle were damaged. But after the war, they restored the ruined chapel and altar.
Look for the large painting of the Descent from the Cross inside St Cecilia’s Church. Charles Heckthorn thought Benjamin West painted it. But Rudolph Ackermann believed it was John Marcus Rigaud. Most think it replaced an altarpiece destroyed in the Gordon Riots. It once hung above the High Altar in the old chapel.
An old parchment suggests the altar stone came from Glastonbury Abbey. It claims the stone, now in the Lady Altar, came with relics from the Lady Chapel. But there is not any evidence to back this up yet.
Since the time of the Royal Sardinian Chapel, music has been vital here. Thomas Augustine Arne composed works for the Sardinian Chapel. This included a setting of the Libera me. They perform it each year on All Souls’ Day. Samuel Webbe and Vincent Novello organized early London performances of Mozart and Haydn masses here. The Schola Cæciliana youth choir sings at the 10 am Mass on Sundays.
St Anselm, the archbishop and theologian, died in 1109. He suffered exile defending the Church. His feast day is April 21st. St Cecilia, the patron saint of music, was martyred under Marcus Aurelius. Her feast day is November 22nd.
Today, the Church of St Anselm and St Cecilia continues a tradition of hospitality. Like the Sardinian Chapel before it, it welcomes students and tourists. It offers a haven for prayer in Holborn and Bloomsbury.
So, as you leave St Cecilia’s Church, remember its layered history. From embassy chapel to parish church, it remains a beacon of faith. It connects the past with the present in the heart of London.