Clonfert Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Clonfert Cathedral is a cathedral
of the Church of Ireland
in Clonfert
, County Galway
in Ireland
. It is in the ecclesiastical province
of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Clonfert
, it is now one of three cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Limerick and Killaloe
.
in 563 and it is here that the great navigating saint is buried. The monastery at Clonfert became one of Ireland's foremost monastic schools, and the launching point of great missionary endeavour throughout Europe. At one time it had as many as 3000 brothers and endured until the 16th century. During the reign of Elizabeth I of England
, it was proposed to found a university there, but the proposal was rejected and the university was later established in Dublin. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clonfert
today has a modern cathedral at Loughrea
.
s, and has an amazing variety of motifs
, animal heads, foliage, human heads etc. Above the doorway is a pointed hood enclosing triangles alternating with bizarre human heads, and below this is an arcade
enclosing more human heads. The early 13th century east windows in the chancel
can be numbered among the best late Romanesque windows. The chancel arch was inserted in the 15th century, and is decorated with angels, a rosette and a mermaid
carrying a mirror. The supporting arches of the tower at the west end of the church are also decorated with 15th century heads, and the innermost order of the Romanesque doorway was also inserted at this time. The sacristy
is also 15th century. The church had a Romanesque south transept
, which is now in ruins, and a Gothic
north transept, which has been removed. In the Roman Catholic church one mile to the south is a 14th century wooden statue of the Madonna and Child, and on the roadside near this church is a 16th century tower-house.
. According to the Fund, the soft sandstone structure had weathered severely, and prior conservation efforts, which did not fully address all the building’s problems, as well as substantial biological growth, had compounded the deterioration. Because of the limited resources of the dwindling congregation, American Express
provided financial assistance through the organization.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
in Clonfert
Clonfert
Clonfert is a small village in east County Galway, Ireland. It is half way between Ballinasloe and Portumna.Clonfert Cathedral is situated in the village, which is the see of the Diocese of Clonfert.-See also:* List of towns and villages in Ireland...
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is in the ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Clonfert
Diocese of Clonfert
The Diocese of Clonfert may refer to:* Diocese of Clonfert * Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe...
, it is now one of three cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Limerick and Killaloe
Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe
The Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe is a diocese in the Church of Ireland, located in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin.It is one of the twelve Church of Ireland dioceses which cover the whole of Ireland...
.
History
The original monastery was founded here by Saint BrendanBrendan
Saint Brendan of Clonfert or Bréanainn of Clonfert called "the Navigator", "the Voyager", or "the Bold" is one of the early Irish monastic saints. He is chiefly renowned for his legendary quest to the "Isle of the Blessed," also called St. Brendan's Island. The Voyage of St...
in 563 and it is here that the great navigating saint is buried. The monastery at Clonfert became one of Ireland's foremost monastic schools, and the launching point of great missionary endeavour throughout Europe. At one time it had as many as 3000 brothers and endured until the 16th century. During the reign of Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, it was proposed to found a university there, but the proposal was rejected and the university was later established in Dublin. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clonfert
Roman Catholic Diocese of Clonfert
The Diocese of Clonfert is a Roman Catholic diocese in the western part of Ireland. It is in the Metropolitan Province of Tuam and is subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tuam...
today has a modern cathedral at Loughrea
Loughrea
Loughrea is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains.The town expanded in recent years as it increasingly becomes a commuter town for the city of Galway.- Name :...
.
Description of the cathedral
The earliest part of the church dates back to around 1180. Its doorway is the crowning achievement of Hiberno-Romanesque style. It is in six orderOrder (mouldings)
An order refers to each of a series of mouldings most often found in Romanesque and Gothic arches....
s, and has an amazing variety of motifs
Motif (art)
In art, a motif is an element of a pattern, an image or part of one, or a theme. A motif may be repeated in a design or composition, often many times, or may just occur once in a work. A motif may be an element in the iconography of a particular subject or type of subject that is seen in other...
, animal heads, foliage, human heads etc. Above the doorway is a pointed hood enclosing triangles alternating with bizarre human heads, and below this is an arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
enclosing more human heads. The early 13th century east windows in the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
can be numbered among the best late Romanesque windows. The chancel arch was inserted in the 15th century, and is decorated with angels, a rosette and a mermaid
Mermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
carrying a mirror. The supporting arches of the tower at the west end of the church are also decorated with 15th century heads, and the innermost order of the Romanesque doorway was also inserted at this time. The sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
is also 15th century. The church had a Romanesque south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
, which is now in ruins, and a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
north transept, which has been removed. In the Roman Catholic church one mile to the south is a 14th century wooden statue of the Madonna and Child, and on the roadside near this church is a 16th century tower-house.
Preservation
Clonfert Cathedral was included in the 2000 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments FundWorld Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training....
. According to the Fund, the soft sandstone structure had weathered severely, and prior conservation efforts, which did not fully address all the building’s problems, as well as substantial biological growth, had compounded the deterioration. Because of the limited resources of the dwindling congregation, American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
provided financial assistance through the organization.
Clonfert in the Annals
- AI561561Year 561 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 561 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Clotaire I dies, and the Frankish kingdom...
.1 Kl. In which the battle of Cúl Dreimne is what is to be recorded, and in which Ainmire, son of Sétna, and Ainnedid son of Fergus, and Domnall were victors. Diarmait,however, was put to flight; and on this day Cluain Ferta Brénainn was founded at the order of an angel. [AU 558, 560, 561, 564; AU 558]. - AI636636Year 636 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 636 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* August 20 – Battle of Yarmuk:...
.4. Repose of Carthach, abbot of Cluain Ferta Brénainn, who is called Ségán. - AI752752Year 752 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 752 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Cuthred of Wessex leads a successful...
.1Kl. Repose of Cúángus, abbot of Liath Mo-Chaemóc, and repose of Fiachna grandson of Maicnia, abbot of Cluain Ferta Brénainn. - AI802.2 Repose of Ólchobar, abbot of Cluain Ferta Brénainn.
- 817817Year 817 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Louis the Pious divides his empire among his sons; Louis the German becomes king of East Francia, Lothar I becomes co-emperor.* The Bulgarian siege of Constantinople ends.- Religion :* The Council of Aachen is...
- Connmach ua Cathail, wise man of Cluain Fearta Brenainn, died. - 820820Year 820 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Tahir, the son of a slave, is rewarded with the governorship of Khurasan for supporting the caliphate...
- Laithbheartach, son of Aenghus, Bishop of Cluain Fearta Brenainn ... died. - 838838Year 838 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* The Byzantine emperor Theophilos is heavily defeated at the Battle of Anzen by the Abbasids...
- A great assembly of the men of Ireland in Cluain Ferta Brénainn, and Niall son of Aed, king of Temuir, submitted to Feidlimid, son of Crimthann, so that Feidlimid became full king of Ireland that day, and he occupied the abbot's chair of Cluain Ferta. - 866866Year 866 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Fujiwara no Yoshifusa becomes regent of Japan, starting the Fujiwara regentship.- Europe :...
- Tomrar the Jarl, plundered Cluain Ferta Brénainn, and Brénainn killed him on [the] third day after he had reached his camp. - 949949Year 949 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Sayf al-Daula raids into the Byzantine theme of Lykandos but is defeated. The Byzantines counter-attack and seize Germanikeia, defeating an army from Tarsus, and the raiding as far south as Antioch...
- The spoiling of Sil-Anmchadha (Síol AnmchadhaSíol AnmchadhaSíol Anmchadha was a sub-kingdom or lordship of Hy-Many, and ruled by an off-shoot of the Ui Maine called the Síol Anmchadha , from whom the territory took its name....
), and the plundering of Cluain-fearta-Brenainn, by Ceallachan and the men of Munster. - 971971Year 971 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Kenneth II of Scotland succeeds Culen as King, though he will not be sole king until 977....
- Cinaedh of the Oratory, anchorite of Cluain-fearta, died. - 1045 - Clonfert with its church, was burned by the Ui-Maine. Cuchonnacht, son of Gadhra Ua Dunadhaigh, was there slain.
- 1136 - Domhnall Ua DubhthaighDomhnall Ua DubhthaighDomhnall Ua Dubhthaigh, Archbishop of Connacht, died 1136.The post of Archbishop of Connacht was a precursor to that of Archbishop of Tuam.His death is noted in the Annals of the Four Masters as follows:...
, Archbishop of Connaught ... died after mass and celebration at Cluain-fearta-Brenainn. - 1162 - The relics of Bishop Maeinenn and of Cummaine Foda (CummianCummianCumméne Fota or Cummian was an Irish bishop.-Biography:Cummian was an Irish Bishop and fer léignid of Cluain Ferta Brénainn , was an important theological writer in the early to mid 7th century. He is famous for a Paschal letter which displays his high level of learning...
) were removed from the earth by the clergy of Brenainn, and they were enclosed in a protecting shrine. - 1170 - Cormac Ua Lumluini, lector of Cluain-fearta-Brenainn, the remnant of the sages of lreland in his time, died.
- 1179 - Clonfert-Brendan, with its churches, were burned.
- 1186 - Maelcallann, son of Adam Mac Clerken, Bishop of Clonfert-Brendan, died.
- 1190 - A meeting was held at Clonfert-Brendan, to conclude a peace between Cathal Crovderg and Cathal Carragh. All the Sil-Murray repaired to this meeting, together with the successor of St. Patrick, Conor Mac Dermot, and Aireaghtagh O'Rodiv; but they could not be reconciled to each other on this occasion. O'Conor and the Sil-Murray went to Clonmacnoise on that night, and early next morning embarked in their fleet, and sailed up the Shannon until they came to Lough Ree. A violent storm arose on the lake, by which their vessels were separated from each other; and the storm so agitated the vessel in which O'Conor was, that it could not be piloted. Such was the fury of the storm, it foundered, and all the crew perished, except O'Conor himself and six others. In this vessel with O'Conor (Cathal Crovderg) were Areaghtagh O'Rodiv and Conor, son of Cathal, who were both drowned, as were also Conor and Auliffe, the two sons of Hugh Mageraghty; O'Mulrenin, and the son of O'Monahan, and many others.
- 1195 - Donnell Ó Finn, Coarb of Clonfert-Brendan, died.
- 1202 - Murtough O'Carmacan, Bishop of Clonfert-Brendan, died.
- 1266 - A bishop-elect came from Rome to Clonfert-Brendan, and the dignity of bishop was conferred on him, and on Thomas Ó Meehan, at AthenryAthenryAthenry is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies east of Galway city, and one of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. The town is also well-known by virtue of the song "The Fields of Athenry".-History:...
, on the Sunday before Christmas.
External links
Clonfert Cathedral:http://www.gaelsirishtravel.com/images/gallery/clonfert-cathedral.jpg,http://walks.iwai.ie/callows/graphics/clonfert1_600.jpg,http://www.lawrencetown.com/images/pulpit.jpg,http://walks.iwai.ie/callows/graphics/clonfert4_600.jpg,http://www.lawrencetown.com/images/chair.jpg
See also
- Abbot of ClonfertAbbot of ClonfertThe Abbot of Clonfert was the monastic head of the abbey of Clonfert in County Galway, Ireland. The abbey was founded by Saint Brendan in the early sixth century. The abbots also bore the title "Comarbai Brénaind", "successor of Saint Brendan"....
- Bishop of Clonfert
- Cormac mac CeithearnachCormac mac Ceithearnach-Biography:Cormac is described as the prior of Terryglass and Clonfert, "and the second lord who was over Loch Riach at that time."Loch Riach is a lake at the foot of the Sliabh Eachtaí, located in a territory then called Máenmaige; its ruleing dynasty were the Ui Fiachrach Finn...
- List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Galway)
- List of cathedrals in Ireland