Waterford County Museum, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Ireland. Charity Reg: 17397
Tel: +353 (0)58 45960  Email: [email protected]
Articles    Photos
Table Of Contents
Christ Church Cathedral
20.

Lewis's Topographical Dictionary - Waterford City

20. Christ Church Cathedral

The CATHEDRAL, dedicated to the Holy Trinity and commonly called Christ Church, was originally built by the Ostmen of Waterford in 1096, and the ancient edifice was standing till 1773. It was a venerable structure, with the parish church of the Holy Trinity and the chapel of St. Nicholas (used as a vestry) at the east end, and having two other chapels, one on the south and the other on the north side, the former of which was used  for a consistory court. The present church, which is parochial, was erected under the authority of a committee appointed by the corporation, and superintended by the dean and chapter, at the expense of £5897, defrayed by a grant from the corporation, the tithes of Cahir bequeathed by Bishop Gore for the repairs of churches in this diocese and in that of Lismore, the produce of the sale of pews, and private subscription.

It is a handsome structure, partly built with the materials of the old church, in the modern style of architecture, with a lofty and much ornamented steeple rising from the west end; the whole length is 170 feet, and the breadth 58 feet. The western entrance has on one side the consistorial court, and on the other the vestry, and above these are apartments for a library; between the entrance and the body of the church is a spacious vestibule, in which are preserved some of the monuments of the old cathedral. That portion of the building which may be called the church is 90 feet long and 40 leet high, and consists of a nave and aisles, separated by ranges of columns supporting galleries. In 1815, an accidental fire materially injured the building, and destroyed the organ; but it was restored in l8l8 at a very great expense, towards which £2000 were granted by the Board of First Fruits. Among the monuments in the vestibule are, one to the Fitzgerald family, erected in 1770; a very neat monument to Mrs. Susannah Mason, erected in 1752; and one to Bishop Foy: among those of more modern erection is a tablet to the memory of Bishop Stock, who died in 1813.

In the churchyard are two remarkably ancient monuments; one to James Rice, mayor in 1469; the other bearing the figure of a man in armour, but without date or in-scription. James Rice, about the year 1482, built a chapel 22 feet square against the north side of the cathedral, and dedicated it to St. James the Elder and St. Catherine; this, with another chapel to the east of it, and the chapter-house, was taken down about 60 years since, in order to enlarge the churchyard. The bishop's palace is situated on the south side of the open space that surrounds the cathedral, and is a handsome building of hewn stone: the front towards the Mall is ornamented with a fine Doric portico and enriched cornice; the other, facing the churchyard, has the doorway, window cases, and quoms in rustic work. The Deanery-house, and also a building for the accommodation of clergymen's widows, called the Widows' Apartments, are situated in the same space.

In the Roman Catholic divisions the two united sees form one of the seven bishoprics suffragan to the archie-piscopal see of Cashel; they comprise 35 parochial benefices or unions, and contain 78 chapels, served by 89 clergymen, of whom, including the bishop, 35 are parish priests, and 54 coadjutors or curates. The parochial benefices of the bishop are Trinity Within and St. John's, in the former of which are the cathedral and the bishop's residence.

Join Our Mailing List

Join our mailing list and get all the latest news for free via email. Simply enter your email address in the box below and press the 'Join' button.
Email:

Make A Donation

Waterford County Museum is a non profit voluntary museum. We would be grateful for any financial donation large or small.

Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

Social Media

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Blogger Follow us on Youtube
© Waterford County Museum 2014. All rights reserved. Please read our Terms of Use
Website By: Déise Design