St. Cronan's Church | |
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![]() View of the graveyard, nave, and tower of St. Cronan's Church, Roscrea | |
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52°57′20″N07°47′42″W / 52.95556°N 7.79500°W | |
Country | Ireland |
Denomination | Church of Ireland |
Previous denomination | Roman Catholic (original 12th century church) |
History | |
Founded | 1812 |
Architecture | |
Style | Gothic/Romanesque |
Administration | |
Diocese | Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe |
St. Cronan's Church is a 19th-century Church of Ireland church in Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland. The church was constructed in 1812 on the site of the original 12th century Romanesque church. The grounds include a graveyard and a replica high cross, enclosed by a rubble stone wall, cast iron gate and railings. [1]
The grounds include part of a 12th-century Romanesque church which was demolished in 1812 to make way for the construction of the current church. Only the western gable of the original church remains, including a bell-cot which was added at a later date. Stones and material from the original church were used for the new building. [2] [1] [3] The original church is registered as National Monument number 126. [4]
The modern church was designed by local architect James Sheane, whose name is inscribed on a datestone in the tower and who was buried in the churchyard upon his death in 1816. [5] A porch was later added by John Bowden. The church was restored in 1879 by Thomas Newenham Deane. [6] The original construction was funded by the Board of First Fruits with a gift of £100 and a loan of £775. [7]
It is a detached, single-cell, gable-fronted church. The pitched roof is covered with artificial slate. There are 5 bays on each side of the nave which features Gothic pointed-arch stained glass windows, with a vestry to the south east, and a porch and 4-stage bell tower to the south west. The string coursed sandstone walls and tower feature crenellation and pinnacles, as well as diagonal buttresses and pinnacles on the porch. The pointed-arch main doorway holds a timber battened double-leaf door. [2]
The church has been renovated several times, including a large renovation in the 1960s when the slate roof was replaced, the interior was redecorated, and the graveyard was deforested.[ citation needed ]
Its most notable historical artefact is a 17th-century pre-Reformation silver chalice decorated with raised angelic figures. The chalice may have been used at a wedding as the letters S.C. M.P., thought to be the initials of the couple, are inscribed on the base. [8]