St Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny
St Mary’s Cathedral | |
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Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | |
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52°39′09″N 07°15′25″W / 52.65250°N 7.25694°WCoordinates: 52°39′09″N 07°15′25″W / 52.65250°N 7.25694°W | |
Location | County Kilkenny |
Country | Republic of Ireland |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
History | |
Founded | February 1842 |
Consecrated | 4 October 1857 |
Relics held | St Victoria Saint Clement Saints Cosmas and Damian[1] |
Architecture | |
Style | Gothic Revival |
Groundbreaking | April 1843 |
Completed | 1857 |
Construction cost | £25,000 |
Administration | |
Diocese | Diocese of Ossory |
Province | Dublin |
St Mary’s is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory. It is situated on James’s Street, Kilkenny, 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. On Sunday 4 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’.[2] 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 is variously referred to as "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).
Gallery[]
Rear nave
Nave facing the Sanctuary
Apse
Vault in the apse
Main façade
Tower, transept (left) and apse (right)
Kilkenny Panorama with St Mary's Cathedral at Background
References[]
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny. |
- 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.
- Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Republic of Ireland
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory
- Gothic Revival church buildings in the Republic of Ireland
- 1842 establishments in Ireland
- Religious organizations established in 1842
- Roman Catholic churches in Kilkenny (city)
- Roman Catholic churches completed in 1857
- 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Ireland