| St Canice's Cathedral | |
| Location | County Kilkenny |
|---|---|
| Country | Ireland |
| Denomination | Church of Ireland |
| Website | [1] |
| History | |
| Dedication | St. Canice |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Cashel and Ossory |
| Province | Province of Dublin |
| Clergy | |
| Dean | The Very Revd Norman Lynas |
St Canice's Cathedral (also known as Kilkenny Cathedral), is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin.
Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Ossory, it is now one of six cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory.
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The present building dates from the 13th century and is the second longest cathedral in Ireland. Beside the cathedral stands a 100 ft 9th century round tower. St. Canice's tower an excellent example of a well-preserved early Christian (9th century) Round Tower. It is dedicated to St Canice. It is one of only two such medieval round towers in Ireland that can be climbed to the top.[1]
The cathedral stands on an ancient site which has been used for Christian worship since the 6th century. In the 1120s the see of Ossory was moved from Aghaboe to Kilkenny.
Following the English Reformation, a new body was established by decree of the Irish Parliament to became the State Church in the Kingdom of Ireland. The Church of Ireland, as it was named, assumed possession of most Church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful to the Latin liturgy of Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Since St Canice's Cathedral was taken over in this way, Roman Catholic adherents were consequently obliged to worship elsewhere. St Mary's, was later built for the Roman Catholic diocese. By 2011, some Anglicans were able to acknowledge that
"The forced alienation of sacred places from one community to another leaves lasting scars"[2]
The cathedral contains some 16th century monuments. The architectural style of the cathedral is Early Gothic and it is built of limestone. It is richly endowed with many stained glass windows including the East window which is a replica of the original 13th century window. The cathedral contains some of the finest 16th century monuments in Ireland.
Kilkenny was the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Ossory, and St Canice's Cathedral stands on a site which has seen Christian worship since the 6th century. The name of Kilkenny itself retains the anglicised version of the Irish Cill Chainnigh, which translates as "Church of Cainneach", or Canice.
The earliest church on the site is presumed to have been made of wood, later to be replaced in the later medieval period by a romanesque-style stone church. This was in turn replaced by the current imposing medieval cathedral. A few yards from the present south transept stands an imposing 9th century round tower, 100 ft high.[3] Accessible only by a steep set of internal ladders, it may once have been both a watchtower and a refuge, and the summit gives a good view of Kilkenny and the countryside around. The hill on which the cathedral stands is believed to be the centre of the first major settlement at Kilkenny, and the round tower suggests an early ecclesiastical foundation.[4] Much less is known about the early secular structures, but the area around the cathedral, called Irishtown, is the oldest part of the present city.
There is no mention of Kilkenny in the lives of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Ciarán of Saighir or any of the early annels of Ireland suggesting that in those times it was not of great importance.[5] The Annals of the Four Masters recorded entries for Cill Chainnigh in 1085 ("Ceall-Cainnigh was for the most part burned") and again in 1114 ("...Cill-Cainnigh ... were all burned this year").[5][6]
The present building was begun in the 13th century, when it was at the western end of Kilkenny,[3] and shows some similarities to St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, both dating from the same period and completed by the end of the 13th century.[7]
In the Red Book of Ossory, fifteen pages dating from about 1324 contain sixty Latin verses, or Cantilenae, written by Richard Ledred, Bishop of Ossory, better known for his connection with heresy and witchcraft trials. As stated elsewhere in the Red Book, Ledred wrote these verses "for the Vicars Choral of Kilkenny Cathedral, his priests and clerics, to be sung on great festivals and other occasions, that their throats and mouths, sanctified to God, might not be polluted with theatrical, indecent, and secular songs."[8]
The cathedral was 'restored' between 1844 and 1867, without the removal of any important medieval features.[9]
Cruciform, the cathedral was built in the Early English, or English Gothic, style of architecture, of limestone, with a low central tower supported on black marble columns. The exterior walls, apart from the gables, are embattled, and there are two small spires at the west end. The cathedral is seventy-five yards long, and its width along the transepts is forty-one yards.[3]
Inside, high pointed arches form entrances from the nave into the choir and the two transepts. Between the nave and each aisle is a row of five black marble clustered columns, with high moulded arches. The nave is lighted by a large west window and five clerestory windows, while the aisles each have four windows. The choir has a groined ceiling with fine tracery and a central group of cherubs.[3] The baptismal font is medieval and the ancient stone of enthronement for bishops still exists under the seat of the medieval throne in the North Transept, where to this day the bishops of Ossory are enthroned.
The cathedral contains some of the finest ancient monuments in Ireland, including one to Bishop David, and the tombs of many bishops of Ossory and several owners of Kilkenny Castle.[3] The subjects of the memorials stretch widely across the social spectrum, from the great figures of the house of Ormonde to the humble shoemaker and carpenter. In the north transept is the ancient Chair of St Kieran, made of carved stone,[3] still used as the chair of enthronement for the bishops of Cashel and Ossory.
There are continental carvings on the choir stalls and the hammerbeam roof. The cathedral has many stained glass windows, including the fine East window, which is a replica of the 13th century original.
On the eastern side of the south transept is the consistory court, built by Bishop Pococke, with the chapter house to the north of it. From the north transept a dark passage leads into St Mary's chapel, where the services of St Canice's parish once took place, and a later parish church next to it holds the tomb of Bishop Gafney (died 1576).[3]
Despite some 19th century restoration, the cathedral has been carefully preserved in its original style and form.
Near the cathedral's east end is the Bishop's Palace.[3]
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