Ss Mary & Everilda, Everingham
Encyclopedia
The Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Everilda, in the village of Everingham
in the East Riding of Yorkshire
, England
, is an impressive Italianate
-style Roman Catholic chapel within the Diocese of Middlesbrough
. The chapel is owned by the Guest family
but leased back to the diocese on a 999 year lease
, and is noteworthy as a Grade I listed building, with a fine organ.
His descendant, William Constable-Maxwell, 10th Lord Herries of Terregles, from an old recusant
family, built the chapel between 1836 and 1839 after the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829, when it became legal for Roman Catholic churches to be built.
Once the act was passed, a number of Roman Catholic benefactors offered their assistance, and a large number of churches and chapels were built in the ensuing years. Yorkshire had a long history of recusancy
and a large number of families had remained Catholic long after the Reformation
, indeed there were entire recusant villages. Everingham was one of these, and the Catholic Church of St. Everilda was built in the grounds of the Hall. Designed in Italy by a young Roman architect, Agostino Giorgioli, its building was supervised by John Harper of York and was modeled on the Maison Dieu at Nîmes
.
The church features lofty Corinthian columns on either side of the nave supporting an entableture which in turn supports a deeply coffered barrel ceiling. The apsidal sanctuary has matching Corinthian pilasters and an ingeniously designed half dome ceiling. Around the nave are spectacular statues of the apostles and there are statues of Our Lady and St Everilda in the sanctuary.
The church was consecrated on 9 July 1839 by Bishop John Briggs
, the vicar apostolic of the Northern District, assisted by Andrew Carruthers (titular bishop of Ceramus
), John Murdoch (titular bishop of Castabala), James Gillis (titular bishop of Limyra
) and thirty-six other clergymen. The ceremony lasted nearly seven hours. A Pontifical
Mass
was celebrated the following day.
columns, and niches with lifesize plaster statues of the Apostles and bas-reliefs of episodes in the life of Christ by Luigi Bozzoni of Carrara
. The building is barrel-vaulted
, ending in an apse
behind the altar, which is of marble inset with panels of polished granite and porphyry
. Plenty of 'faux' marbling and real gold leaf adds to the effect, and the acoustics are noteworthy.
The organ, by Charles Allen, is contemporary with the chapel, and is on a high west gallery, under the barrel vault. English classical organ Despite the small specification, the organ is laid out grandly and occupies a big mahogany case with a gilded front (the facade starts at 8' C - the four lowest Open Diapason pipes are inside). The Great Organ is in the obvious place at impost level, and the tiny swell-box is above and behind, with the Pedal Pipes on either side below it. The entire base of the organ is occupied by an enormous double-rise reservoir, about twelve feet by six.
, John Patrick Crowley
, at a time when the diocese was complaining of a shortage of clergy.
However the chapel itself is still used by the diocese, and masses are regularly celebrated there.
Everingham
Everingham is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is west of Market Weighton town centre and south of Pocklington town centre. Everingham is part of the civil parish of Everingham and Harswell....
in the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, is an impressive Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
-style Roman Catholic chapel within the Diocese of Middlesbrough
Diocese of Middlesbrough
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese based in Middlesbrough, England and is part of the province of Liverpool. It was founded on 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley which had covered all of Yorkshire...
. The chapel is owned by the Guest family
Guest family
The Guest family are a British family of the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries who, among other things built a huge industrial business in the Dowlais Iron Company and later in Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds.-John Guest:...
but leased back to the diocese on a 999 year lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
, and is noteworthy as a Grade I listed building, with a fine organ.
History
The impressive stuccoed classical exterior almost dwarfs the adjacent red-brick Everingham Hall, which was designed by John Carr and built between 1757 and 1764 for William Haggerston Constable.His descendant, William Constable-Maxwell, 10th Lord Herries of Terregles, from an old recusant
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
family, built the chapel between 1836 and 1839 after the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829, when it became legal for Roman Catholic churches to be built.
Once the act was passed, a number of Roman Catholic benefactors offered their assistance, and a large number of churches and chapels were built in the ensuing years. Yorkshire had a long history of recusancy
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
and a large number of families had remained Catholic long after the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, indeed there were entire recusant villages. Everingham was one of these, and the Catholic Church of St. Everilda was built in the grounds of the Hall. Designed in Italy by a young Roman architect, Agostino Giorgioli, its building was supervised by John Harper of York and was modeled on the Maison Dieu at Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
.
The church features lofty Corinthian columns on either side of the nave supporting an entableture which in turn supports a deeply coffered barrel ceiling. The apsidal sanctuary has matching Corinthian pilasters and an ingeniously designed half dome ceiling. Around the nave are spectacular statues of the apostles and there are statues of Our Lady and St Everilda in the sanctuary.
The church was consecrated on 9 July 1839 by Bishop John Briggs
John Briggs (Roman Catholic Bishop)
John Briggs was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first Bishop of Beverley from 1850 to 1860.-Early life:...
, the vicar apostolic of the Northern District, assisted by Andrew Carruthers (titular bishop of Ceramus
Ceramus
Ceramus or Keramos was a city on the north coast of the Ceramic Gulf—named for this city—in Caria, in southwest Asia Minor; its ruins can be found outside the modern village of Ören, Muğla Province, Turkey....
), John Murdoch (titular bishop of Castabala), James Gillis (titular bishop of Limyra
Limyra
Limyra was a small city in Lycia on the southern coast of Asia Minor, on the Limyrus River, and twenty stadia from the mouth of that river.It is mentioned by Strabo , Ptolemy and several Latin authors...
) and thirty-six other clergymen. The ceremony lasted nearly seven hours. A Pontifical
Pontifical
Pontifical may refer to the Roman Pontifical, a Roman Catholic liturgical book used by a bishop.When used as an adjective, Pontifical may be used to describe things related to the office of a bishop, such as the following:*Solemn Pontifical Mass...
Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
was celebrated the following day.
Interior decoration
The exterior is unexceptional, but the interior is magnificent, with a long hall flanked with CorinthianCorinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns, and niches with lifesize plaster statues of the Apostles and bas-reliefs of episodes in the life of Christ by Luigi Bozzoni of Carrara
Carrara
Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
. The building is barrel-vaulted
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
, ending in an apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
behind the altar, which is of marble inset with panels of polished granite and porphyry
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
. Plenty of 'faux' marbling and real gold leaf adds to the effect, and the acoustics are noteworthy.
The organ, by Charles Allen, is contemporary with the chapel, and is on a high west gallery, under the barrel vault. English classical organ Despite the small specification, the organ is laid out grandly and occupies a big mahogany case with a gilded front (the facade starts at 8' C - the four lowest Open Diapason pipes are inside). The Great Organ is in the obvious place at impost level, and the tiny swell-box is above and behind, with the Pedal Pipes on either side below it. The entire base of the organ is occupied by an enormous double-rise reservoir, about twelve feet by six.
The chapel today
The Roman Catholic parish of Everingham was closed in 2004. The Institute of Christ the King offered to take over the church and supply a priest to serve it, but this offer was controversially refused by the Bishop of MiddlesbroughBishop of Middlesbrough
The Bishop of Middlesbrough is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough in the Province of Liverpool, England.The diocese covers an area of of the counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire together with the City of York...
, John Patrick Crowley
John Patrick Crowley
The Most Reverend John Patrick Crowley is a retired Roman Catholic Bishop of Diocese of Middlesbrough, England, who carries the honorary title of Bishop Emeritus....
, at a time when the diocese was complaining of a shortage of clergy.
However the chapel itself is still used by the diocese, and masses are regularly celebrated there.