St. Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny
Encyclopedia
St. Mary’s is the Roman Catholic cathedral for the Diocese of Ossory
. It is situated on James’s Street, Kilkenny
, County Kilkenny
, Ireland
. Kilkenny also has a second cathedral, Saint Canice’s
which is Church of 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, which included the period of the Irish famine. On Sunday the 4th 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.
The cathedral actually has three names - St Mary’s, the church of St Kieran and the Cathedral of the Assumption.
St. Mary's has a noted sculpture of the Madonna
by Giovanni Maria Benzoni
(1809-1873).
Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin...
. It is situated on James’s Street, Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
, County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Kilkenny also has a second cathedral, Saint Canice’s
St Canice's Cathedral
St Canice's Cathedral , is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin....
which is 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...
.
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, which included the period of the Irish famine. On Sunday the 4th 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
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
which was sourced locally. The cathedral has a cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
plan and its style is described as ‘Early English Gothic’. The design is believed to have been based on Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the river. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter .-Foundations:The foundations of the present...
in Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated on the highest point in Kilkenny City and is a significant local landmark.
The cathedral actually has three names - St Mary’s, the church of St Kieran and the Cathedral of the Assumption.
St. Mary's has a noted sculpture of the Madonna
Madonna (art)
Images of the Madonna and the Madonna and Child or Virgin and Child are pictorial or sculptured representations of Mary, Mother of Jesus, either alone, or more frequently, with the infant Jesus. These images are central icons of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity where Mary remains...
by Giovanni Maria Benzoni
Giovanni Maria Benzoni
Giovanni Maria Benzoni was an Italian neoclassical sculptor. He was trained in Rome, where he later set up his own workshop....
(1809-1873).
External links
- St. Mary's 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.