Cavan Cathedral

Last updated

Cavan Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim
Cavan Cathedral.JPG
Cavan Cathedral
53°59′54″N7°21′40″W / 53.9984°N 7.3610°W / 53.9984; -7.3610
Location Cavan, County Cavan
CountryIreland
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
StatusIn Use
Consecrated 1947
Architecture
Style Neoclassical
Groundbreaking 1938
Completed1942
Construction cost£209,000
Administration
Province Armagh
Archdiocese Armagh
Diocese Kilmore
Clergy
Bishop(s) Martin Hayes, Bishop of Kilmore
Assistant
  • Brian McElhinney CC
  • Martin Gilcreest CC
  • Peter Okpetu CC
  • Thomas Small CC
Laity
Business manager Kevin Fay

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim, also known as Cavan Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Cavan, Ireland. It is the seat of the Bishop of Kilmore, and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore.

Contents

History

In 1152, the Diocese of Kilmore was formally established by Cardinal Giovanni Paparoni at the synod of Kells. In 1454, Pope Nicholas V gave permission for the ancient church at Kilmore (founded in the sixth century by Saint Felim) to be the cathedral church of Kilmore diocese. It was rebuilt and became known in Irish as An Chill Mhór (meaning Great Church) and anglicised as Kilmore, which gave its name to the diocese, a name which has remained ever since. During the Reformation, the Roman Catholic diocese lost possession of the cathedral and all the other temporalities and passed into the hands of the Church of Ireland. Following the completion of the new Anglican cathedral in 1860, the pre-Reformation cathedral became a Church of Ireland parochial hall. [1]

For almost 300 years the Roman Catholic diocese did not have a cathedral. In 1862, Cavan parish church was extended and it became the new cathedral of the diocese under Bishop James Browne.

The cathedral

In 1938 construction of the present cathedral began, and was completed in 1942 under Bishop Patrick Lyons. Ralph Byrne of W.H. Byrne & Son were the architects of the new cathedral. The plan layout is quite unorthodox for Irish churches. The nave is lined with columns which extend down both sides, and unusually turn to form what could appear to be the beginning of a rood screen. Meanwhile, the transepts form a strong line across the cathedral without being impacted by the nave. The altar is in a recess opposite the nave. The church is beautifully built in a white granite by John Sisk & Son at a total build cost of £209,000.

Externally the cathedral is dominated by a classical portico surmounted by a tower.

The cathedral was dedicated to Saint Patrick and Saint Felim in 1942 and consecrated in 1947.

Leaded glass

There are artistic stained glass windows by George Collie. [2]

Six stained glass windows from the studios of Harry Clarke were added to the cathedral in 1994.

Sculpture

Some of the sculpture work was undertaken by Albert Power.

Commentaries

The design of the cathedral has not been well received by commentators. "The cathedral is a disappointing sham-Renaissance structure by Ralph Byrne." [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George's Cathedral, Southwark</span> Church in Greater London, England

The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St George, usually known as St George's Cathedral, Southwark, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, south London, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Southwark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavan</span> County town of Cavan, Ireland

Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin with Enniskillen, Ballyshannon and Donegal Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop of Clogher</span> Northern Irish episcopal titles

The Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the other of the Roman Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of Saint Patrick (Norwich, Connecticut)</span> Historic church in Connecticut, United States

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Norwich is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in Norwich, Connecticut. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Norwich and is the seat of its prelate bishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop of Ardagh</span>

The Bishop of Ardagh was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardagh, County Longford in the Republic of Ireland. It was used by the Roman Catholic Church until 1756, and intermittently by the Church of Ireland until 1839.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst (Australia)</span> Catholic ecclesiastical territory

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst (in Australia) is a Latin Church suffragan diocese of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1865, covering the Central West and Orana regions of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Wagga Wagga</span> Latin Catholic territory in Australia

The Diocese of Wagga Wagga is a Latin Church suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1917, covering the Riverina region of New South Wales in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Ninian's Cathedral</span> Church in Perth, Scotland

St Ninian's Cathedral in Perth is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church in the Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh</span> Anglican diocese of the Church of Ireland

The United Dioceses of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh is a diocese of the Church of Ireland located in central Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop of Kilmore</span>

The Bishop of Kilmore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the parish of Kilmore, County Cavan in Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.

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

The Diocese of Kilmore is a Latin Church diocese which is mainly in the Republic of Ireland although a few parishes are in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh.

Philip Leo O'Reilly is an Irish former Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Kilmore between 1998 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption (Fall River, Massachusetts)</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, colloquially known as Saint Mary's Cathedral, is a historic church located in Fall River, Massachusetts. It is the cathedral and a parish church in the Diocese of Fall River. Built from 1852 to 1856, the cathedral and adjacent rectory were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, as St. Mary's Cathedral and Rectory. It is the oldest extant church building in the city of Fall River, and was one of the city's first Catholic parishes. The cathedral is dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus under the title of Our Lady of the Assumption.

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

Kildare Cathedral, or St Brigid's Cathedral in Kildare, is one of two Church of Ireland cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Originally a Catholic cathedral, it was built in the 13th century on the site of an important Celtic Christian abbey, which is said to have been founded by Saint Brigid in the 5th century. The site was taken over by the Protestant Church of Ireland following the Reformation. There is an Irish round tower in the cathedral grounds.

<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.

Kilmore is a civil and ecclesiastical parish of County Cavan in Ireland. It is located about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-west of the county town of Cavan.

Francis Joseph MacKiernan (1926–2005) was an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Kilmore from 1972 to 1998 and chaired the coordinating committee for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Fethlimidh's Cathedral, Kilmore</span> Church in County Cavan, Ireland

St Fethlimidh's Cathedral, Kilmore is one of two cathedral churches in the Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh in the Church of Ireland. It is situated in the parish of Kilmore, southwest of the county town of Cavan. The name Kilmore - Cill Mhor meaning 'the great church' - reflects an earlier prominence that the Annals of the Four Masters have traced to an early medieval foundation. Of that church there are no physical remains

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Monica's Cathedral, Cairns</span> Latin Catholic cathedral in Australia

St Monica's Cathedral is the cathedral of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Cairns. It is located at 183 Abbott Street, Cairns City, Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The cathedral was designed by Ian Ferrier and built from 1967 to 1968. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 31 August 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Hayes (bishop)</span> Irish Roman Catholic prelate (born 1959)

Martin Hayes is an Irish Roman Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Kilmore since 2020.

References

  1. "St. Feithlimidh's Cathedral, Kilmore". Travelmania. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  2. National inventory of Architectural Heritage
  3. Lord Kilanin & Michael V. Duignan, 'The Shell Guide to Ireland'(London, 1967), p. 159