For almost 175 years it has been a place of refuge, prayer, and strength for a city.
It survived two world wars, and when, in the 1990s Chapel Street was desolate with boarded-up properties and plots of open land after partial clearance it remained defiant.
More recently it was included with its own card on the Salford version of the Monopoly board game.
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Four years ago it was where cast and fans said goodbye to Coronation Street's Vera Duckworth, at the funeral of Liz Dawn, the actress, who played the character for more than three decades.
But prayers it seems will not be enough to protect it from the increasingly severe weather linked to climate change.
As a result The Cathedral Church of St John The Evangelist is to get a £18m restoration, which mean it will close for a year and a half.
The Roman Catholic cathedral was officially opened on August 9, 1848, by Bishop George Brown, who sang the Solemn High Mass, and Bishop Nicholas Wiseman, who gave a ninety-minute sermon.
But time and wear and tear means major work is needed to revive its iconic splendour and make it the most sustainable cathedral in the country.
Innovative technologies will provide new sources of energy to heat and light the Cathedral as well as offer long term drainage and roofing solutions to increasingly unpredictable and extreme patterns of weather associated with climate change.
The restoration programme is a considerable financial undertaking for the Diocese of Salford. Existing funding streams and grants will be used the Diocese is asking that anyone wishing to support the project can find further information at www.salfordcathedral.co.uk
The work coincides with the cathedral’s 175 th anniversary in 2023 and will use modern-day techniques to preserve its sacred ambience and accommodate its growing congregation.
The building of the Cathedral began in 1844 and has had a numerous of repairs over the years.
During its history some aspects of the original design and character of the Cathedral have been lost.
The Diocese says: "The repair and restoration project will not only restore the Cathedral’s heritage and sense of the sacred but will maximise capacity for the growing parish community."
This work will include the temporary closure of the Cathedral from 1 st March 2023. During this time alternative accommodation for the Cathedral Parish will be provided. The Cathedral will reopen in December 2024.
Cathedral Dean, Fr Michael Jones said: "The extent of the restoration and conservation needed on the Cathedral is a major operation and we have taken the decision to accelerate and condense the programme of work, rather than to do it piecemeal.
"This was not an easy decision to take, as this option means that the Cathedral will have to close for 18 months, while the interior work is carried out. Closing the Cathedral was not our first preference but it does mean that we will be able to make the repairs, restore and reorder the Cathedral more quickly, safely, and efficiently.
"Large parts of the Cathedral are in extremely poor repair, this is the right time to fix these and restore some of the original design features that have been lost over the years and enhance what we are able to offer the local catholic community."
Purcell Architects who are specialists in heritage consultancy, master planning and architecture to conserve and reimagine places of worship, will work on the restoration.
