Dromore Cathedral
| Dromore Cathedral | |
|
The Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer | |
|---|---|
|
Dromore, County Down | |
| Status: | Cathedral |
 Dromore Cathedral | |
| Church of Ireland | |
| Diocese of Down and Dromore | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | J20035335 |
| Location: | 54°24’53"N, 6°9’6"W |
| History | |
| Built 1661 to 1899 | |
| Gothic Revival | |
| Information | |
| Website: | cathedral.dromore.anglican.org |
The Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer, Dromore, known as Dromore Cathedral, is one of two cathedral churches of the Diocese of Down and Dromore in the Church of Ireland, the other being Down Cathedral in Downpatrick. It stands in the small town of Dromore in County Down, and in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh.
The cathedral is an active parish church with a wide demographic of about 600 families, but it also serves an important role in Diocesan life. The pattern of worship reflects a wide range of tastes. The cathedral seeks to serve the community of Dromore by bringing Christ's compassion, love and hope of salvation to people of all ages. The mission is to grow God's Kingdom by being a centre of worship, healing and outreach to everyone in their community.
There is evidence of worship on the site since 510 AD, when St Colman of Dromore established a church on the banks of the River Lagan. The church was rebuilt numerous times in the 16th and 17th centuries and was made a cathedral by letters patent in 1609, before being destroyed by rebel insurgents in 1641.
The present building was originally built in 1661 by Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down and Connor[1] and has been expanded several times to its present size - the most recent section being added in 1899. The organ was installed by Conacher and Co. of Huddersfield in 1871 and rebuilt by Trevor Crowe of Donadea, County Kildare in 2008/9.
History
The first church on the site was a wattle and daub building constructed by St Colman around the year 510.
In the twelfth century, King Henry II revised a system of dioceses and bishops which covered the entire island of Ireland. One of those dioceses, named Dromore: Irish tradition has it that there had been bishops and abbots in Dromore before this, but the history becomes more complete only from King Henry's time. The new diocese took the site of St Colman's church as its base, though the Dark Age edifice was replaced by a more appropriate mediaeval church.
The mediæval 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 King James I. In 1641 this building, too, was destroyed, by Irish insurgents.
In 1661, a narrow structure of around 20 feet wide and 100 feet long was first built. This forms the base of the current tower aisle. A tower was then built, but soon dismantled. The Percy aisle was added by Bishop Thomas Percy in 1811. This aisle sits at right angles to the Tower aisle, opposite the pulpit. A semi-circular sanctuary in memory of Bishop Jeremy Taylor was designed by Thomas Drew FRSA during the ministry of Canon Beresford Knox in 1870. The organ aisle and baptistry were added at the same time, creating an ‘L’ shaped building. Finally, the church was made rectangular with the addition of the Harding aisle parallel to the Tower aisle in 1899.
References
- ↑ Day, J.G.F. and Patton, H.E.: 'The Cathedrals of the Church of Ireland' (SPCK, 1932)
- Andrew Cuthbert. "Home" (in en-GB). https://www.dromorecathedral.org/.
- Dromore Cathedral on Lisburn.com:
| Cathedrals of the Church of Ireland |
|---|
|
Province of Armagh:
Armagh •
Clogher •
Derry •
Downpatrick •
Dromore •
Elphin •
Enniskillen •
Killala •
Kilmore •
Lisburn •
Raphoe •
Sligo •
Tuam •
Belfast
|