The History of Alma de Cuba

Alma de Cuba is situated in the former St Peter’s Catholic Church on the south side of Seel Street in Liverpool. The building is itself an iconic destination as it is the first church in Liverpool to be turned into a social venue.

The church was opened on the 7th of September in 1788. It served as a Catholic building for 188 years until 1976, after which it served the local Polish community for a short time. For this reason it is still today affectionately referred to as ‘The Polish Church’.

Until its closure in 1978, St. Peter?s was the oldest surviving Catholic Church in Liverpool. After a period of disuse, the building was taken over by Urban Splash and is now the internationally acclaimed ultra stylish restaurant and bar, Alma de Cuba.

• 1788 7^th September – St Peter’s Church opened
• 1788 28^th September – First baptisms performed
• 1817 – One of the earliest catholic elementary schools in the country was opened at the
• 1818 – The Chapel was considerably enlarged
• 1903 – Six stained- glass windows were installed at a cost of £330
• 1904 – The Baptistery and West end were renovated for £150
• 1908 – The Lady Chapel was renovated for £100
• 1920 – Electric Light was installed for the first time and the Church was redecorated in. Funds for this refurbishment were raised by sources including a Grand Bazaar held 14^th-16^th October 1920
• 1976 – The church was transferred to the Polish Community and for a short time was known as ‘Our Lady of Czestochowa’
• 1978 – the parish was closed
• Late 90’s – Mother Theresa attended mass at St Peter’s Church