Cathedral Church of St. Mary and St. Boniface, Plymouth

The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Boniface in Plymouth, England, serves as the seat of the Bishop of Plymouth and is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth. The cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Boniface, the latter believed to have been born in Crediton within the diocese, was officially opened in 1858.

Before the construction of the current cathedral, the small church of Saint Mary, built in 1807 on Saint Mary Street, functioned as the Pro-cathedral. With Catholic emancipation in 1850, Plymouth became the center of the diocese, and George Errington, a Yorkshire native known for his pastoral visits to Dartmoor Prison, was consecrated as the first Bishop of Plymouth on 25 July 1851.

Bishop Vaughan initiated the construction of a proper cathedral to replace the Pro-cathedral. He acquired land on the outskirts of Plymouth on 20 February 1856, and construction commenced on 22 June. The architects Joseph Hansom and Charles Hansom designed the cathedral, which was built by local workers from Stonehouse. A noteworthy event during the early phase of construction was the firing of new Turkish Man-of-war guns in Plymouth Sound by a Royal Navy officer, which caused subsidence. The cathedral was completed and opened for Mass on 25 March 1858, the Feast of the Annunciation, and was consecrated by Bishop Vaughan on 22 September 1880.

The cathedral holds special significance for Royal Navy personnel stationed at HMNB Devonport, who attend an annual naval mass each July. Historically, before the Reformation, Exeter Cathedral was the seat for bishops overseeing all of Devon and Cornwall. The establishment of the Diocese of Plymouth marked a new chapter for the Catholic Church in the region.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Boniface stands as a symbol of resilience, devotion, and the rich history of Catholicism in southwest England.