Attend a service at St Peter's Italian Church

There have been Italians in London for hundreds of years, and the population started to rise significantly in the 19th century. By the middle of the century, around 2,000 Italians had settled in the slums around Clerkenwell, and a Roman Catholic priest decided they needed a church. St Peter's opened on 16th April 1863, operating as a church for all Catholics in the community, with a distinctly Italian look and feel.


Designed by the Irish architect Sir John Miller-Bryson, using plans drawn by Francesco Gualandi of Bologna, modelled on the Basilica of San Crisogono in Trastevere, Rome, the church was originally the only one in the country in the Basilica style.

St Peter's offers lunchtime services on weekdays, with other services on Saturdays and up to four on Sundays. There are also various other community groups and an annual pilgrimage to Aylesford, Kent.

For full details, visit http://www.italianchurch.org.uk/

_{^Picture from Wikimedia Commons, © Lonpicman used under Creative Commons^}