St Mary Moorfields

St. Mary Moorfields
Photo of St. Mary Moorfields
Location	Eldon Street, City of London
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Administration
Diocese	Westminster

Coordinates: 51°31′7.64″N 0°5′8.57″W / 51.5187889°N 0.0857139°W / 51.5187889; -0.0857139

St Mary Moorfields is a Roman Catholic church in Eldon Street near Moorgate, on a site previously known as Moorfields. It is the only Catholic church in the City of London. Prior to 1994, the church was designated as being in the Borough of Hackney, such that there were no Catholic churches in the City.

The present building, located at 4-5 Eldon Street, was opened in 1903, after the previous building had been demolished in 1899. However, the foundation had a long history prior to this. A chapel was opened in 1686, but was suspended in 1689, in the aftermath of the Revolution of 1688.

The church serves as a hub for evangelism, especially directed at young people who work in the Financial District environs (City of London). The church is affiliated with the St Francis of Assisi Ramblers and also hosts monthly Opus Dei meetings.

The Catholic Church had an uninterrupted presence in the City of London between the fourth century and the Reformation in the sixteenth century. The first post-Reformation Catholic chapel in the City was established in Lime Street in 1686, in reign of James II. The Lime Street chapel was suppressed, and later re-established in Grub Street (now Milton Street), near Moorfields. The Gordon Riots of 1780 resulted in the destruction of a chapel in White Street.