All Souls Church, located on Elmwood Avenue, was constructed in 1895-96. Originally built for the congregation of the 2nd Presbyterian Church in Rosemary Street, the church was renamed All Souls upon their relocation before the turn of the century.
In 1941, members of the York Street Presbyterian Church joined All Souls after their own church was destroyed during the Belfast Blitz. The York Street Presbyterian Church, founded in 1841 with support from the 2nd Church in Rosemary Street, merged with All Souls in 2001, creating a unified congregation.
As a Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland, All Souls does not require adherence to the 17th Century Westminster Confession of Faith. Non-Subscribers are not obliged to accept the Confession to be ordained in any role within the Church, such as Minister or Elder. The Confession of Faith, drafted in 1646, is a Calvinist theology subscribed to by many Presbyterian churches in Ireland. It outlines doctrines common to most of Christendom, such as the Trinity and Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection, and includes specific Protestant beliefs like sola scriptura (the Bible as the sole source of Christian faith and practice) and sola fide (faith, not deeds, as the way to divine salvation). It also condemns the Pope as the Antichrist and Catholic mass as idolatry. Non-Subscribing churches, however, tend to be more liberal, favouring intellectual freedom and inquiry.
Architecturally, All Souls Church is a late Victorian building in an English style, featuring a squat, square tower with a spire. The church has a rectangular nave with flanking aisles and an open oak porch.
If you fancy learning more about the Queen’s Quarter, come on my tour of the area! Details are here.