Saint Cainnech Cathedral
The Sankt-Cainnech-Cathedral ( English St. Canice's Cathedral , Irish Ard-Eaglais Naomh Cainneach ) is the episcopal church of the Diocese of Ossory of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny . It goes back to a foundation by Cainnech (525-598), who was abbot of Aghaboe at the time . Starting with the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111, Kilkenny is named as a bishopric. The cathedral has not belonged to the Catholic Church since the Reformation . Saint Cainnech Cathedral has been in continuous use since its construction in the 13th century; it is considered one of the most important medieval churches in Ireland.
Geographical location
Kilkenny development began on two elevations on the western side of the River Nore . The second highest elevation, north of the small tributary Bregagh, was chosen for the church founded by Cainnech. Opposite this, about 750 meters away, was a hill on the west bank of the River Nore, where the Butler family built their castle. So two city centers were formed, with the city developing around the cathedral being called Irishtown .
history
Born around 525 near Derry , Cainnech (English: Canice ) was of Pictish descent and was u. a. trained by Finnian from Clonard and Cadoc in Wales . His most important foundation of his time was that of Aghaboe, where a bishopric was to exist for centuries before it passed to Kilkenny. Kilkenny, which derives its name from Cell Cainnigh , translated "Church of the Cainnech", goes back to a founding of the Cainnech, of which however no details have been handed down. Only the round tower dates from this early period and indicates that the community was monastic in character.
The building history of the churches built before the 13th century is not exactly known. Two fires from the years 1087 and 1114 have survived. Then there was a new building in the middle of the 12th century. The choir still rests on the solid foundation of this earlier building .
In 1202, Hugo de Rous, the first Englishman, took over the bishopric. Shortly after taking office, he began preparations for a new cathedral. The choir is from his tenure. His successor Hugh de Mapilton (term of office 1251-1260) had the two transepts and the side aisles of the choir built. The cathedral was completed under the third English bishop, Geoffrey St Leger (term of office 1260–1287).
On May 22, 1332 the church tower collapsed and destroyed both the side chapels and the western side of the choir. The accident occurred during the tenure of Bishop Richard Leatherhead (1317-1361), who began in 1354 with the restoration work. In order to avoid a repetition of the disaster, the new tower was built significantly lower, so that the tower that has been preserved to this day is 9 to 12 meters lower than its predecessor.
The church suffered severe damage when Oliver Cromwell's soldiers used it as a stable for horses. In particular, all the medieval stained glass windows were broken, the beauty of which had previously been documented several times and in 1645 persuaded the papal nuncio Archbishop Giovanni Battista Rinuccini to offer 700 pounds for it. In 1660, Bishop Griffith Williams, returning from exile, tried to make the first makeshift repairs, which were completed in 1673.
Yet the Church remained in a desolate state that deteriorated over time. This prompted Bishop Richard Pococke (term of office 1756–1765) to make numerous changes, which, however, were more cosmetic than structural. In doing so, he followed a fashionable trend to incorporate classical style elements that were in stark contrast to the Gothic architecture of the church.
Further work on the church did not follow until the middle of the 19th century when the tower roof was replaced. In 1853 the wall that separated the choir from the nave disappeared. In the period from 1864 to 1870, the first professional restoration took place under the direction of the architect Thomas Newneham Deane, who had previously worked on the Tuam Cathedral. He liked Gothic architecture and removed everything that interfered with it. He also repaired the roof; however, the changes he made should only last a few years. In 1875 the glass in the east window was replaced, with the aim of adapting the stained glass to the style of the medieval church. Other architects were George Edmund Street and in the 1890s Richard Langrishe, who took care of numerous interior work. In particular, the choir stalls can be traced back to him.
architecture
Before the 13th century there was no particular architecture for episcopal churches in Ireland. In the 12th century, Cistercian architecture dominated Ireland. Here, in the 12th century, the Jerpoint Monastery, the most important architectural work still preserved, was created. It was only with the English invasion that the role and importance of the secular church increased. The cathedral, built in Kilkenny at the beginning of the 13th century, is the culmination of this trend, in which secular bishops in Ireland achieved an unprecedented level of power.
The cathedral's floor plan is cruciform with a tower over the crossing . On both sides of the main nave are two aisles, each separated by five arcades. Side chapels adjoin the two transepts further outside. Further inside there is access to the side aisles of the choir, which, however, do not extend over the entire length of the choir to the east window. This architecture is unique in Ireland. The Cistercian churches with their transepts and side chapels could have been a certain model. In the case of the Cistercians in Ireland, however, there were no side aisles by the choir, as these were instead also worked out as side chapels of the transepts, such as in Boyle .
literature
- Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock: Medieval Religious Houses Ireland . Longman, London 1970, ISBN 0-582-11229-X .
- Siuban Barry, John Bradley and Adrian Empey: A Worthy Foundation: The Cathedral Church of St Canice Kilkenny . The Dolmen Press, Mountrath 1985, ISBN 0-85105-435-8 .
- Peter Galloway: The Cathedrals of Ireland . The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, 1992, ISBN 0-85389-452-3 .
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ Cf. Galloway, p. 129: St. Canice's Cathedral is one of the finest of the Irish medieval cathedrals and the second largest of its date in Ireland.
- ↑ a b c d e f Cf. Galloway, p. 129.
- ↑ See Galloway, p. 129; Gwynn and Hadcock, p. 84.
- ↑ See Empey, p. 13.
- ↑ See Barry, p. 27.
Coordinates: 52 ° 39 '24.2 " N , 7 ° 15' 26.3" W.