Visita Iglesia in UK: St. Paul’s Cathedral

LONDON, United Kingdom — From Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, the Visita Iglesia (literally meaning “visit church” in Spanish) has been a well-known Holy Week tradition among Catholic Filipinos. 

The Visita Iglesia is a pilgrimage tour of at least seven churches to remember Jesus Christ’s suffering and death by praying to the 14 Stations of the Cross. 

In England, one of the most popular pilgrimage sites is St. Paul’s Cathedral, the seat of the Anglican bishop of London. This Renaissance and English Baroque architectural landmark from 1710 has been immortalized in the hit Julie Andrews musical movie “Mary Poppins.” 

The cathedral is famously also the site of the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, as well as the thanksgiving services for the jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria and Platinum Jubilees and 80th and 90th birthdays of the late Queen Elizabeth II. 

It was also the funeral service location of prominent English figures like former UK prime ministers Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, as well as the final resting places of King Henry VIII and Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing.