Our most popular trail gives pupils the opportunity to discover the significance of Manchester Cathedral as a place of worship; past and present.  Pupils will be able to identify the main aspects of a Church and Cathedral and examine the objects that are used in Christian worship.  

This innovative trail invites pupils to visit Manchester Cathedral and Manchester Buddhist Centre in order to consider what is meant by a place of peace. 

NEW! A joint educational programme between Manchester Cathedral and Manchester Jewish Museum.  Although Jews and Christians have different expressions of worship, they have many shared  values and traditions.  Come and discover more about these amazing places of faith. 

Why not visit the Cathedral at Christmas or Easter time for a fresh approach to teaching these familiar stories?  Festivals, such as Christmas, Epiphany and Easter, are taught through an activity trail of the building, which is beautifully decorated for the celebrations.

This trail covers the history of the Church during the Mediaeval period. Through a range of activities pupils will learn about the Tudor Reformation and how the different Tudor monarchs shaped the religion of the time according to their beliefs.

This interactive workshop is great fun and enables pupils to understand many important Christian symbols and link them to the Church's Year.  Pupils have the opportunity to dress up as priests using robes from the Children’s Vestment Collection (handmade by the Cathedral's Embroidery Group), creating an unforgettable learning experience!

This workshop compliments our Place of Worship trail perfectly by allowing pupils to engage with the history of the Cathedral in a "hands on" way.  Pupils are invited to observe the original brasses in the Cathedral and consider their historical importance.  They are then shown rubbing techniques and, in gold, silver or pewter on quality black paper, pupils make their own rubbings to take back to school for mounting.

Who and what was the Green Man? Images of him are to be found in over 1,000 mediaeval English churches, and throughout the churches of Western Europe. In some churches images of the Green Man outnumber images of Christ by about 100 to 1.

In Manchester Cathedral the earliest Green Men date from about 1340, with many more being added in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Discovering the Green Man combines both a trail and a workshop, and is a great opportunity to get creative in the Cathedral!

The mediaeval misericords were carved by sixteenth century craftsmen and are thought to be some of the finest in Europe.  The name comes from the latin word for pity, 'misericordia', since out of pity for weary monks during long services, the seats have a ledge to give support to those leaning up against them.  Hidden on the underside of these seats are carvings of mediaeval tales and legends.

This workshop allows pupils to get up close to the mediaeval wood carvings in order to consider the symbolism and allegory that lies behind them.

In this workshop pupils will learn about Icons, their purpose, meaning and significance in worship. After learning about the composition and main types of icons pupils will design one of their own, incorporating the appropriate use of subject matter, line and colour.

At the end of the workshop each pupil will be given a facsimile of the Vladimir, Mother of God of Tenderness, icon similar to the one in the Lady Chapel.

Through a number of different practical activities pupils are encouraged to:

• Consider people's continual search for meaning in terms of the acknowledgment of a power greater than themselves - a search that cuts across time, culture and religion;
• Think about the purpose of prayer and why people pray;
• Understand the five different sorts of prayer within the Christian tradition - adoration, confession, intercession, petition and thanksgiving - and when each might be used;
• Find out about the different objects that people have traditionally used to help them to focus on prayer - e.g. rosary beads, icons, candles;
• Write a prayer of Intercession for someone else, and leave it on the Children's Intercession Board.