Photo-a-Day  (Saturday, 9th December, 2023)

My second daughter was baptized in that church by the Rector, who was an old school friend of mine.

Beautiful photo Colin, in the heart of Wigan Town centre and there for all to see.

What no pigeons Colin.

Many thanks Brian for posting this.

That's a really nice view of the Parish Church; the bare branches of the tree enhance it.

Nice shot of Wigan Parish Church.
But where is the Christmas tree?

One of the most photographed Church on Photo a day, and so it should be. It looks great which ever angle you look at.

It looks like a grey uninviting fortress compared to the brightly coloured Muslim mosques and Indian temples.
I was up in Wigan 3 weeks ago attending a dear cousins funeral and couldn't believe the amount of derelict churches I saw as we drove around the area.

A very good photo of Wigan’s landmark Parish Church. Looks like we have another resident snapper in our midst.
(And to think the Bonnie Prince MAY have hidden in the tower and peeped out of those spy holes!). Thanks Colin..

Was a regular during vacations 1970-72 for Evensong. A superb civic parish church which has a comfortable interior. The atmosphere within has, in my experience, only been matched by St Peter Mancroft in Norwich.
That of course was over 50 years ago. No idea what it's like now.

Thank for the Photo Brian, on behalf of Colin.

Look how nice and peaceful the grounds are, no pigeon feeders there. (Thankfully)

Derelict churches are all over the country not just around here..perhaps it’s the fault of folk no longer feeling the need to go to them..apart from occasional funerals. Such as yourself Sylvia….?

Thanks for all your appreciative comments and again to Brian for posting this on my behalf..
Gary, the interior is just has beautiful and interesting, nothing much has changed.
Sylvia, with great respect to the Mosques and Temples which as you say are often quite colourful and beautiful, I have visited and marvelled at many both new and old in my extensive travels in the Middle East, North Africa, India and Pakistan but any in the UK I imagine are all post WW2 and have no historical interest or deep rooted architectural merit, I doubt if any will structurally last as long as our dear little Parish Church
All Saints Parish Church Wigan has been built, burned, rebuilt and added to for centuries, it is even said containing stones and possibly an alter stone in its fabric from a temple in Roman Coccium times.
My best regards to Bognor, I stayed close by in Chichester a few years back and visited the Cathedral and Arundel Castle and of course the many Roman archaeological sites close by, none of these as I recall were brightly coloured!
Kind regards, Colin.

Every closed church in this country is a step towards actual civilisation and away from the tyranny of organised religion...

A beautiful interior,a warm inviting church.However,there doesn't seem to be very good communication from here in connection with up to date info about services( or lack of them !)

I don't know about that Gareth, when one church closes it is often converted to a Mosque, Hindu or Sikh Temple, not much sign of there of diminishing religion.
I saw one on the way into Warrington with the church tower/steeple converted into a Indoor Climbing Centre, perhaps they think it a quick route to Heaven!
Traditional Christianity as we know it might be on the wain but the Mormons and Happy Clappers appear to be doing well and growing.
When one faith closes there is always something else to replace it. Bingo, Football and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here for example!

This church has stood the test of time, it looks as solid as the rock it is built of.
Hello Alan in Canada....Happy Christmas !

The oldest churches I have visited are the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity in the Holy Land. Still standing over a 1000 years. Despite all the wars through those years and which are still going on. Thousands upon thousands visit no signs of dying out there.
I don’t call the destruction of church buildings very civilised either. If that’s an example of civilisation count me out.

Colin, I make no comment about people's faith - I am a convinced atheist but respect that everyone has a right to faith and that it brings great comfort to many. My beef is with organised religion and the untold harm it has done throughout the ages.
There was a time when most small churches or chapels seemed to become carpet shops...

Veronica, who spoke about the destruction of church buildings ???

Thanks Gareth, yes I understood your message and to an extent do agree. Tricky subjects Religion, like Politics, best kept away from.
The main topic of the subject is the rich history of this beautiful church. Regardless of any faith or none all can or should appreciate its historical significance to Wigan.

This is a perfect subject for Rev David Long.

Sandra, there wasn't a Christmas Tree in this part of the Parish Church but where is/are the Christmas Tree's in Wigan? None last week at least.
There was a time when the Big Switch on of the tree on the Market Square or Market Place and the lights in Standishgate by a minor celebrity was a major event bringing in vast crowds with a real tree not a modern version of a tree that you could climb in like the one that was at the bottom of Makinson's Arcade.
I saw a few token lights on lamp posts and the two cabins selling sausages but not not much else to lift the spirits outside of the Grand Arcade.
Having said that not many decent people would want to venture into the town centre after sunset these days with their children.

Together there are 94 mosques in Blackburn and Bolton . When Muslim’s pray they face towards Mecca in Saudi Arabia , where there are no Christian churches ?
Even the Manchester bombers in prison are given a place where they can pray .
How can places like SA call themselves deeply religious yet deny other faiths a place to worship or pray ? Are there other faiths in Saudi?
Can you imagine the outcry if we denied Muslims their mosques. What is the one and first word they would use ?

Veronica, I too have been to visit some these sites The Sea of Galilee and even up onto Golan Heights with my Israeli colleague with a gun!
Bethlehem and Nazareth, lovely memories of my times there and used to have many Lebanese and Pakistan friends and colleagues, Christian and Muslim. When in Beirut there is a cable car that takes you to the top of mountain with a huge statue and visitors centre for The Virgin Mary, quite fascinating and revered by all faiths

Terrorists cause tyranny Graham not true Christians.
Example - Synagogues were destroyed by the Nazis in the last war. They also murdered Christians for speaking out against them or any other denomination who dared to speak out.

Everybody knows Mecca was in Blackpool.

Thank you Colin.
I just think it's appropriate to see a Christmas tree in the Church grounds, it seems fitting.

Veronica, what about the Crusades, the persecution of both Catholics and Protestants in this country, the Inquisition, the brutal oppression of native Americans, the Salem witch trials, the total mess that has been the Middle East for 1500 years ?? What about Shia and Sunni Muslims slaughtering each other for centuries? All for religion.....
As regards Church buildings, nobody admires and feels awe in the appreciation of a beautiful church or cathedral more than I do, so please don't suggest that I even mentioned the destruction of church buildings...

Sandra there's a Christmas tree outside St Peters Church in Hindley. Looks nice.

Religion creates culture in civilisations, regardless of what the religion might be. It creates a common path, a lifestyle, which is followed by all, like it or lump it.

All the Blessings of CHRISTmas to you Gareth. People are still being persecuted for their faith even today…that is not God’s will.

Well said Dek…

The crowd has many heads but no brain .

Dek, you are right in many ways, but all religions eventually create factions, subdivisions and schisms fuelled by human vested interests purporting to know that their version is the right one and all others are deviants from the one true faith ending in persecution and wars. Two thousand years of abject misery and sectarian hatred for millions throughout the ages which is still going on today.
I love Churches, Mosques, Temples and Synagogues, its the people that run them that cause me concern feeding off the masses wishing to find some spiritual meaning to life with the promises that 'Don't worry just keep praying' the next one will be better. And who knows!