Dromore Cathedral

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. It is situated in the small town of Dromore, County Down, Northern Ireland in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh.

The present building was originally constructed in 1661 by Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down and Connor and has been several times expanded to its present size. The organ was installed by Conacher of Huddersfield in 1871.

History

The first church on the site was a wattle and daub building constructed by St Colman circa 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.

The present building was first constructed under Bishop Jeremy Taylor in 1661 as a narrow church 100 feet (30 metres) long. In 1811 Thomas Percy (bishop of Dromore) added a short aisle at right angles to the nave to form an L-shaped floor plan. In 1870 a semicircular sanctuary and organ aisle were added. Finally in 1899 an additional aisle parallel to the original nave aisle was added to achieve a conventional rectangular floor plan.

Burials

• Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667), Bishop of Down and Connor
• Thomas Percy (bishop of Dromore) (1729–1811), Bishop of Dromore and ballad poet.

See also

• Bishop of Dromore
• Dean of Dromore
• Diocese of Down and Dromore
  • Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore
  • Bishop of Down and Connor

References

• Dromore Cathedral
• Dromore Cathedral