Church in County Kilkenny, Ireland
St Mary’s Cathedral | |
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Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | |
52°39′09″N 07°15′25″W / 52.65250°N 7.25694°W / 52.65250; -7.25694 | |
Location | County Kilkenny |
Country | Ireland |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
History | |
Founded | February 1842 |
Consecrated | 4 October 1857 |
Relics held | St Victoria Saint Clement Saints Cosmas and Damian |
Architecture | |
Style | Gothic Revival |
Groundbreaking | April 1843 |
Completed | 1857 |
Construction cost | £25,000 |
Administration | |
Province | Dublin |
Diocese | Diocese of Ossory |
St Mary's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory. It is situated on James's Street, Kilkenny, Ireland.
Saint Mary's was designed by William Deane Butler (c.1794-1857). He was chosen by Bishop William Kinsella (1793-1845) who instigated the building of St. Mary's in February 1842. Work began in April 1843 and finished in 1857. On Sunday 4 October 1857, St. Mary's had its grand opening, which consisted of a two-and-three-quarter hour ceremony that began at 6.15am. The cost of the building is estimated to have been £25,000.
St. Mary's is made from cut-limestone which was sourced locally. The cathedral has a cruciform plan and its style is described as ‘Early English Gothic’. The design is believed to have been based on Gloucester Cathedral in Gloucester, England. It is situated on the highest point in Kilkenny City and is a significant local landmark.
Its bell in the steeple was made by John Murphy, a Dublin foundry.
St. Mary's has a noted sculpture of the Madonna by Giovanni Maria Benzoni (1809-1873).
Gallery
- Rear nave
- Nave facing the sanctuary
- Apse
- Vault in the apse
- Main façade
- Tower, transept (left) and apse (right)
- Kilkenny panorama with St Mary's Cathedral at background
References
- "Strolling through the mediaeval capital of Ireland".
- National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- "The crowning glory of St Mary's Cathedral". 13 August 2021.
External links
- Parish website
- St. Mary's cathedral on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage website
- A good history of St Mary's here
- A biography of William Deane Butler
- A List of architects and designers that worked on St Mary's Cathedral.
- Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Republic of Ireland
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory
- Gothic Revival church buildings in the Republic of Ireland
- 1842 establishments in Ireland
- Religious organizations established in 1842
- Roman Catholic churches in Kilkenny (city)
- Roman Catholic churches completed in 1857
- 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Ireland
- 19th-century churches in the Republic of Ireland