St Peter's Italian Church

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St. Peter's Italian Church is a Basilica-style church located in Holborn, London.HistoryIt was built by request of Saint Vincent Pallotti, and it is still under the control of the Pallotine order which he founded. He had assistance from Giuseppe Mazzini, who was in London at the time, for the growing number of Italian immigrants in the mid 19th century and modelled by Irish architect Sir John Miller-Bryson on the Basilica San Crisogono in Rome.It was consecrated on 16 April 1863 as The Church of St. Peter of all Nations. At the time of consecration, it was the only Basilica-style church in the UK. Its organ was built in 1886 by Belgian Anneesen.The frontal section of the church consists of a loggia and portico with twin arches, above which are three alcoves. The central alcove contains a statue of Christ, whilst the sides contain statues of St. Bede and St. George. Between the alcoves are two large mosaics depicting the miracle of the fishes and Jesus giving the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to St. Peter.Above the façade is a 33-metre-high bell tower, built in 1891 which houses a bell known as "The Steel Monster".In the loggia are two remembrance plaques, one to veterans (mostly Italian Britons) of World War I and the other to 446 Italians who lost their lives on the Arandora Star.