Ross Cathedral
| Ross Cathedral | |
|
The Cathedral Church of St Fachtna | |
|---|---|
|
Rosscarberry, County Cork | |
| Status: | Cathedral |
| |
| Church of Ireland | |
| Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | W28703663 |
| Location: | 51°34’41"N, 9°1’46"W |
| History | |
| Information | |
The Cathedral Church of St Fachtna, also known as the Cathedral Church of St Faughan, or simply as Ross Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland standing in the village of Rosscarbery in County Cork. It was once the cathedral of the Diocese of Ross, but now finds itself one of three cathedrals of the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross; a situation resulting from the 16th and 19th century mergers of dioceses: the other cathedrals are also in County Cork: Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork and Cloyne Cathedral in Cloyne.
The cathedral was built in the 1600s and was extensively refurbished in the 19th century.
History
Early history
Fachtna of Rosscarbery came to the area in the late sixth century and founded a monastic site. It was known contemporaneously as Ros Ailithir, or "wood of the pilgrims".[1] This had been the principal monastery of West Cork; Brendan the Navigator taught there, and it was a school for international students in its time. The ruins of a church erected by 'St Faughnan' still exist on the southern slope of the land on which Rosscarbery is built.[2]
A church or cathedral has occupied the site since at least the tenth century.[3] After Bishop John Edmund de Courcy resigned in 1517, Pope Leo X ordered an inquiry into the state of the diocese, and it was noted that by then a cathedral stood on the site.[1] It was known at that time as Tiompal mor Feachtna, or "Feachtna's big temple".[2]
16th century
After the reformation, no Bishop of Ross was appointed by the Crown until 1582, when William Lyon was enthroned. He was the last bishop to serve before the Diocese of Ross was merged with the Diocese of Cork. [1] Bishop Lyon was unsatisfied with the cathedral, and undertook the erection of what he deemed to be a more suitable building. The building was either substantially renovated or entirely rebuilt, either between 1582 and 1589,[3] or between 1589 and 1612.[1][4] This building was built in the perpendicular Gothic English style.[5]
From its foundation, this was the cathedral church of the Diocese of Ross.[6] In 1583 the diocese of Ross was joined with the diocese of Cork, and the bishop has sat in Cork ever since.[7] It is now one of three cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, with Cloyne having been added in 1835.[8]
17th century
During the Confederates' Rebellion of 1641, led by Roman Catholic lords. the church suffered extensive damage, leaving it "wrecked".[1] The nave and tower were destroyed, and the chancel and two chapels were used as a slaughterhouse. The former house of Bishop Lyon (who had died in 1617) was burnt down, and his deaf and dumb daughter perished in the fire.[1] In the 1660s the nave was rebuilt. [9] In 1696 it was ordered that a tower be built.[1] Fallow describes the cathedral as having been "almost entirely rebuilt in the seventeenth century".[10]
18th century - present
The spire of the original building was removed in either 1785,[4] 1793,[3] or 1795,[11] with the current spire being added in 1806 at a cost of IR£964.[11] The walls of the church were freestone, but what remained of the old walls were plastered and dashed in 1880.[2] Storms have blown the top of the spire over on two occasions, once in the winter of 1886, and then again in February 1923.[11]
Between 2002 and 2005, major restorations were carried out on the cathedral, including rebuilding the organ and restoring the bells. In 2012, an additional bell was added to the tower.[4]
Architecture
St Fachtna's is the smallest cathedral in Ireland, being the size of a typical parish church.[12][13] It is cruciform, as is usual.
Ross Cathedral's tower is also the only tower in Ireland fitted with a ring of bells which has a ringers' gallery, allowing the ringing of the bells to be witnessed by the congregation.[14]
Peter Galloway described the building as "an odd collection of architectural bits and pieces", noting that it incorporates only a little medieval work, while the mixture of Gothic and Georgian windows along with wooden casements with stone linteled heads leave the cathedral with a confusing architectural style.[11] Located beneath the tower, the west doorway is in the Romanesque style.[15]
The Cathedral contains a ring of six bells in the key of G, which are regularly rung.[14] The tenor bell weighs 636kg.[16]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Galloway 1992, p. 191.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Coleman 1904, p. 127.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "St Fachtna's Church of Ireland Cathedral, Carbery's Lane, TOWNLANDS, Rosscarbery, CORK". Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/20855029/st-fachtnas-church-of-ireland-cathedral-carberys-lane-townlands-rosscarbery-cork. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 St Leger 2013, p. 375.
- ↑ Lewis 1837, p. 535.
- ↑ Day Patton, p. 141.
- ↑ Fallow 1894, p. 69.
- ↑ "A Short History". http://cork.anglican.org/our-story/a-short-history/.
- ↑ Hallinan 2015, p. 112.
- ↑ Fallow 1894.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Galloway 1992, p. 192.
- ↑ Hallinan 2015, p. 110.
- ↑ Cusack 1875.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Rosscarbery, St Fachtna's Cathedral". https://bellringingireland.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Rosscarbery-St-Fachtnas-Cathedral.pdf.
- ↑ Galloway 1992, p. 193.
- ↑ "Rosscarbery, Cork, Republic of Ireland, Cath & Parish Ch of S Fachtna". 13 June 2020. https://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?tower=11724.
- Coleman, James (1904). "Rosscarbery". Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. 2 X: 127–128. https://www.corkhist.ie/wp-content/uploads/jfiles/1904/b1904-030.pdf.
- Cusack, Mary Francis (1875). A History of the City and County of Cork.
- Day, J.G.F.; Patton, H.E. (1932). The Cathedrals of the Church of Ireland. London. pp. 141.
- Fallow, Thomas McCall (1894). The Cathedral Churches of Ireland: Being Notes, More Especially on the Smaller and Less Known of Those Churches. Old Bailey: Bemrose & Sons. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-1-1669441-2-4.
- Galloway, Peter (1992). The Cathedrals of Ireland. Belfast: The Institute of Irish Studies, Queens University Belfast. pp. 191–193. ISBN 0-85389-452-3.
- Hallinan, Mona, ed (2015). Heritage Churches of County Cork. Cork: Heritage Department of Cork County Council. ISBN 978-0-9525869-2-0. https://www.corkcoco.ie/sites/default/files/2017-04/Heritage%20Churches.pdf.
- Lewis, Samuel (1837). A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. 2. London: Lewis & Co. pp. 535. https://books.google.com/books?id=dDQE_stxs-AC&q=a+topographical+dictionary+of+ireland.
- St Leger, Dr. Alicia (2013). "The Province of Dublin: Cork, Cloyne and Ross". in McAuley, Alicia. The Church of Ireland: An illustrated history. Dublin: Booklink. pp. 375. ISBN 978-1-906886-56-1.
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