Dromore Cathedral

Last updated

Dromore Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer
Dromore Cathedral.jpg
Dromore Cathedral in 2021
Dromore Cathedral
54°24′53″N06°09′06″W / 54.41472°N 6.15167°W / 54.41472; -6.15167
Location Dromore, County Down
CountryNorthern Ireland
Denomination Church of Ireland
Churchmanship Evangelical
Membership600 families
Website www.cathedral.dromore.anglican.org
History
StatusOpen for Worship
Founded510AD by St Colman;
1609AD by Letters Patent made a Cathedral
Founder(s)St Colman of Dromore
Dedicated510AD
Eventsdestroyed 1641, rebuilt 1661
Past bishop(s)Jeremy Taylor & Thomas Percy
Architecture
Functional statusChristian Worship
Heritage designationGrade II Listed
Architectural typeGothic Revival
Years built1661 to 1899
Completed1661 to 1899
Specifications
Capacityc. 500
Nave width30 feet
Number of towers 1
Tower height55 feet
Bells2
Administration
Province Province of Armagh
Diocese Diocese of Down and Dromore
Deanery Iveagh
Parish Dromore
Clergy
Archbishop Most Rev John McDowell
Bishop(s) Rt Rev David McClay
Rector Very Rev Geoff Wilson
Dean Very Rev Geoff Wilson
Chancellor Canon Robert Howard
Prebendary VACANT
Curate(s) Rev Trevor McKeown
Archdeacon The Ven Mark Harvey
Laity
Organist(s) Dr Matthew Milford
Treasurer Mr Paul Cochrane
Churchwarden(s) Mr Andrew McNeill & Mr Alan Turkington
Verger Mr Jim McComb
Youth ministry coordinator Mrs Christine Shanks
Flower guildMrs Sara McCorkell
Music group(s)Mrs Karen Bowden
Parish administratorMrs Jill Wylie
Dromore Cathedral DC Logo.png

Dromore Cathedral, formally The Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer, Dromore, is one of two cathedral churches (the other is Down Cathedral) in the Diocese of Down and Dromore of the Church of Ireland (Anglican / Episcopal). It is situated in the small town of Dromore, County Down, Northern Ireland, in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh.

Contents

The cathedral is an active parish church with a wide demographic of about 600 families, but also serves an important role in Diocesan life. The pattern of worship reflects a wide range of tastes. The cathedral seeks to serve the community of Dromore by bringing Christ's compassion, love and hope of salvation to people of all ages. The mission is to grow God's Kingdom by being a centre of worship, healing and outreach to everyone in their community.

There is evidence of worship on the site since 510 AD, when St Colman of Dromore established a church on the banks of the River Lagan. The church was rebuilt numerous times in the 16th and 17th centuries and was made a cathedral by letters patent in 1609, before being destroyed by rebel insurgents in 1641. The present building was originally constructed in 1661 by Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down and Connor [1] and has been expanded several times to its present size - the most recent section being added in 1899. The organ was installed by Conacher and Co. of Huddersfield in 1871 and rebuilt by Trevor Crowe of Donadea, County Kildare in 2008/9.

History

The first church on the site was a wattle and daub building constructed by St Colman c. 510. This was replaced by a medieval church which was destroyed in the late 16th century. The church was again rebuilt and in 1609 elevated to the "Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer" by letters patent of James I. In 1641 this building, too, was destroyed. In the twelfth century, the English King Henry II revised a system of dioceses and bishops which covered the entire island of Ireland. One of those dioceses, named Dromore, took as its base this cathedral church. There had been bishops and abbots before then, but from this time the history becomes more complete.

A medieval church, about which no record exists, was destroyed in the late 1500s. It was King James I who, in 1609, issued letters patent giving the Church of St Colman a new title and a new status: The Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer, Dromore (known as Dromore Cathedral). That building was destroyed in 1641 by Irish insurgents.

In 1661, a narrow structure of around 20 ft (6.1 m) wide and 100 ft (30 m) long was first built. This forms the base of the current tower aisle. A tower was then built, but soon dismantled. The Percy aisle was added by Bishop Thomas Percy in 1811. This aisle sits at right angles to the Tower aisle, opposite the pulpit. A semi-circular sanctuary in memory of Bishop Jeremy Taylor was designed by Thomas Drew FRSA during the ministry of Canon Beresford Knox in 1870. The organ aisle and baptistry were added at the same time, creating an L-shaped building. Finally, the church was made rectangular with the addition of the Harding aisle parallel to the Tower aisle in 1899.

Burials

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Taylor</span> English cleric

Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) was a cleric in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his poetic style of expression, and he is frequently cited as one of the greatest prose writers in the English language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dromore, County Down</span> Town and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland

Dromore is a small market town and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies within the local government district of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon. It is 19 miles (31 km) southwest of Belfast, on the A1 Belfast–Dublin road. The 2011 Census recorded a population of 6,395.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Colman's Cathedral, Cobh</span> Catholic cathedral in Cobh, Ireland

The Cathedral Church of St Colman, usually known as Cobh Cathedral, or previously Queenstown Cathedral, is a single-spire cathedral in Cobh, Ireland. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral and was completed in 1919. Built on Cathedral Place, it overlooks Cork harbour from a prominent position, and is dedicated to Colmán of Cloyne, patron saint of the Diocese of Cloyne. It serves as the cathedral church of the diocese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland)</span> Diocese in the Province of Armagh of the Church of Ireland

The Diocese of Connor is in the Province of Armagh of the Church of Ireland.

The Bishop of Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Connor in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The title is currently used by the Church of Ireland, but in the Roman Catholic Church it has been united with another bishopric.

Events from the year 1609 in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore</span> Catholic diocese in Northern Ireland

The Diocese of Dromore is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Down and Dromore</span> Anglican diocese of the Church of Ireland

The Diocese of Down and Dromore is a diocese of the Church of Ireland in the south east of Northern Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. The geographical remit of the diocese covers half of the City of Belfast to the east of the River Lagan and the part of County Armagh east of the River Bann and all of County Down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newry Cathedral</span> Church in United Kingdom, Northern Ireland

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Colman or Newry Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Newry, Northern Ireland. It acts as the seat of the Bishop of Dromore, and the Mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, over 200,000 people visited the cathedral each year. The cathedral sits on Newry's Main Street and is a Grade A listed building.

Henry Leslie was a Scotsman who became the Church of Ireland Bishop of Down and Connor from 1635 to 1661 and briefly Bishop of Meath from January to April 1661.

The Bishop of Dromore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the original monastery of Dromore in County Down, Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church the title still continues as a separate bishopric, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilfenora Cathedral</span> Church in County Clare, Ireland

Kilfenora Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland. Part of the structure is occasionally used as a place of worship by the Church of Ireland and it includes a bishop's throne among its furniture. The church is located in the village of Kilfenora, in the region known as the Burren, County Clare, Ireland. In medieval times, it was the episcopal see of the Bishop of Kilfenora.

Nicholas Greaves, D.D. (1605?–1673) was an English churchman who was Dean of Dromore cathedral, County Down.

The Dean of Dromore has responsibility for Dromore Cathedral in the Diocese of Down and Dromore in the Church of Ireland.

Robert Leslie was an Anglican prelate who served in the Church of Ireland as the Bishop of Dromore (1660–61), then Bishop of Raphoe (1661–71), and finally Bishop of Clogher (1671–72).

The Dean of Armagh in the Church of Ireland is the dean of the Anglican St Patrick's Cathedral, the cathedral of the Diocese of Armagh and the metropolitan cathedral of the Province of Armagh, located in the town of Armagh.

The Dean of Down is based in The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Downpatrick within the Diocese of Down and Dromore of the Church of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean of Connor</span>

The Dean of Connor is based at Christ Church Cathedral, Lisburn in the Diocese of Connor within the Church of Ireland. The chapter is however known as the Chapter of St Saviours, Connor after the previous cathedral church in Connor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Church Cathedral, Lisburn</span> Church in Lisburn, United Kingdom

Christ Church Cathedral, Lisburn, is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Connor in the Church of Ireland. It is situated in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. Previously St Thomas's church, it is now one of two cathedrals in the Diocese, the other being the shared Cathedral Church of St Anne, Belfast. The Dean and Chapter of Lisburn Cathedral are known as the Dean and Chapter of St Saviour, Connor in honour of the original cathedral of Connor, County Antrim.

References

  1. ↑ Andrew Cuthbert. "Home". Dromore Cathedral. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.