Ferns Cathedral
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral Church of St Edan is a cathedral
of the Church of Ireland
in Ferns, County Wexford
in Ireland
. It is in the ecclesiastical province
of Dublin.
Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Ferns, it is now one of six cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory
.
in the Kingdom of Ireland
. The Church of Ireland, as it was named, assumed possession of most Church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful to the Latin liturgy of Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Since Ferns Cathedral was taken over in this way, Roman Catholic adherents were consequently obliged to worship elsewhere.
By 2011, some Anglicans were able to acknowledge that
The building was burnt down in Elizabethan times and only a small portion of the ruins remain. Although Queen Elizabeth I of England
ordered it rebuilt, only a section of the quire was restored. This was subsequently rebuilt again in the 1800s.
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
(of the first creation), Lord of Leinster, Justiciar
of Ireland (1130 – 20 April 1176), also commonly known as Strongbow (French: Arc-Fort), is interred at Ferns Cathedral.
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 Ferns, County Wexford
Ferns, County Wexford
Ferns is a small historic town in north County Wexford, Ireland with a population of about 900. It is 16 km from Enniscorthy, where the Gorey to Enniscorthy N11 road joins the R745 regional road...
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 Ferns, it is now one of six cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory
Diocese of Cashel and Ossory
The United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory is a diocese of the Church of Ireland in southern Ireland...
.
History
The original medieval cathedral was built by Bishop St. John in the 1230s. Following the Irish Reformation, a new body was established by decree of the Irish Parliament to became the State ChurchState church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
in the Kingdom of Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
. The Church of Ireland, as it was named, assumed possession of most Church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful to the Latin liturgy of Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Since Ferns Cathedral was taken over in this way, Roman Catholic adherents were consequently obliged to worship elsewhere.
By 2011, some Anglicans were able to acknowledge that
"The forced alienation of sacred places from one community to another leaves lasting scars"
The building was burnt down in Elizabethan times and only a small portion of the ruins remain. Although Queen 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...
ordered it rebuilt, only a section of the quire was restored. This was subsequently rebuilt again in the 1800s.
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke , Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland . Like his father, he was also commonly known as Strongbow...
(of the first creation), Lord of Leinster, Justiciar
Justiciar
In medieval England and Ireland the Chief Justiciar was roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister as the monarch's chief minister. Similar positions existed on the Continent, particularly in Norman Italy. The term is the English form of the medieval Latin justiciarius or justitiarius In...
of Ireland (1130 – 20 April 1176), also commonly known as Strongbow (French: Arc-Fort), is interred at Ferns Cathedral.