Saint Brendan's Cathedral in Ardfert

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South-east view of the cathedral with the twelve lancet windows in the choir area

The Saint Brendan's Cathedral of Ardfert ( Irish Ardeaglais Ard Fhearta , English Ardfert Cathedral of St. Brendan ) in Ardfert was the Bishop's Church of the Diocese of Ardfert dedicated to Brendan travelers since the 12th century . Like all historical cathedrals in Ireland, it belonged to the Church of Ireland , established by the English crown, from the 16th century , which abolished the bishopric in the 17th century. The cathedral has only been in ruins since then. In 1982 extensive restoration work began. a. included the roofing of the south transept , which today serves as an information center.

history

In Ardfert, a monastery was founded by Brendan the Traveler in the 6th century, but little is known about it. At this time Ardfert was not yet a bishopric. It was not until the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111 that the diocese of Kerry was founded with its seat in Ratass near Ardfert. However, this was only temporary, as the first bishop Anmchad Ó hAnmchada was buried in Ardfert as early as 1117. It is assumed that the back and forth is due to the effects of armed conflicts that led to the destruction of the church in Ardfert in 1089, and that in 1111 no intact church in Ardfert was available or Ardfert appeared too unsafe.

The building history of the cathedral spans several periods. In the north side of the nave there are remains of the church, which was destroyed in 1089. A Romanesque portal with blind arcades from a previous building has been integrated on the west side , which took over elements of the Cormac's Chapel, built in 1134 on the Rock of Cashel , and which is therefore to be assigned to the second half of the 12th century. In 1152 the first cathedral must have already been completed, as in the Synod of Kells taking place at that time it was considered the most beautiful and largest church in the diocese and therefore the most suitable as a cathedral.

The actual nave is unusual in its design, as it is closely based on the architecture of the Mendicants in Ireland and Leask has therefore suggested that this goes back to the Dominican Christian, who was Bishop of Ardfert from 1253 to 1256. The characteristic design of the choir room with a long series of nine choir windows on the south side was then taken over by the Franciscan monastery built in the immediate vicinity .

The fortress-like battlements , together with the wall attachments of the nave, are an addition from the 14th or 15th century. The sacristy at the northeast corner of the choir and the south transept are also from the 15th century.

Around the middle of the 16th century, Ardfert Cathedral became Anglican as part of Henry VIII's Reformation .

The two-part piscina, restored as part of the restoration, and the sediles in the south wall of the choir

In 1641 the cathedral fell victim to a fire during the rebellion . Excavations in 1989 confirmed this with the discovery of a 0.6 m thick layer of ash. A reconstruction did not take place because Ardfert had served as a bishopric. But in 1670 the south transept was prepared so that it could serve as an Anglican parish church. This function was retained by the transept until 1871, after which the roof was removed and it fell into disrepair like the rest of the cathedral. A little later, in the 19th century, two buttress arches were built to support the dangerously sloping south wall of the nave. Restoration work began in 1982, during which the transept and a new roof were restored in 1994 and structural improvements made it possible to remove the buttresses.

literature

  • Harold G. Leask: Irish Churches and Monastic Buildings I . The First Phases and the Romanesque. Dundalgan Press, Dundalk 1955, pp. 124-125 .
  • Harold G. Leask: Irish Churches and Monastic Buildings II . Gothic Architecture to AD 1400. Dundalgan Press, Dundalk 1960, pp. 111-113 .
  • Aubrey Gwynn , R. Neville Hadcock: Medieval Religious Houses in Ireland . Longman, London 1970, ISBN 0-582-11229-X , pp. 62 .
  • Peter Galloway: The Cathedrals of Ireland . The Institute of Irish Studies, Belfast 1992, ISBN 0-85389-452-3 , pp. 9-11 .
  • Caroline Toal: North Kerry Archaeological Survey . Brandon, Tralee 1995, ISBN 0-86322-186-6 , pp. 258-259 .

Web links

Commons : Ardfert Cathedral  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Galloway, pp. 9.10.
  2. ↑ a b Silver Restoration Medal Winner 1999-2001: Ardfert Cathedral. Retrieved December 29, 2012 .
  3. ↑ Gwynn, p. 62.
  4. ↑ Toal, p. 259; Gwynn, p. 95.
  5. ↑ a b c Toal, p. 259.
  6. ↑ Leask I, p. 124; Toal, p. 259.
  7. ↑ Leask II, p. 111.
  8. ↑ Leask II, p. 113.
  9. ↑ Leask II, p. 113.
  10. ↑ Galloway, p. 11.
  11. ↑ Galloway, p. 9.

Coordinates: 52 ° 19 ′ 43.8 "  N , 9 ° 46 ′ 54.2"  W.