St Matthew's Church Belfast

St Matthew's is a large, much loved church located on the Newtownards Road east of Belfast city centre. It is built from large buff-pink sandstone in uncoursed rock-faced rubble, with side-aisles and three-stage tower with broach spire built circa 1880. Rooney & McConville was appointed to design and procure all of the liturgical aspects of the interior of this renovated church in coordination with the project architects.

The altar was designed in marble and is square to symbolise that the worshipping community gathers around it.  It is decorated with angels, cast in bronze, as a reference to the Ark of the Covenant.  The new ambo, also in marble and the Presider’s Chair in oak, take as their inspiration the gothic revival architectural style of the building.

The altar has been placed on a new platform that protrudes into the nave in front of the original sanctuary step.  This allows seating to be placed on three sides allowing the congregation to gather around it.  The design of the floor of this platform in colour and motif relates to the existing mosaic floor on the old sanctuary that was retained and refurbished.

The tabernacle in the reredos was also retained and refurbished and the original marble altar rails were retained but relocated in front of the reredos creating an inner sacred space for the reserved Sacrament.

The existing marble baptismal font was relocated in the centre aisle at the entrance in a new baptismal space.