European Heritage Open Days - St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh
Saturday 14th September
Event: European Heritage Open Days - St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral
Date: Saturday 14th September 2024
Time: See Below
Location: St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral, 43 Abbey Street, Armagh, County Armagh, BT61 7DY
Price: FREE
European Heritage Open Days - St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral
St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral will be open:
Saturday 14 September 2024, 10.00am to 5.00pm
St Patrick’s Cathedral is built on the hill Ard Mhacha,‘the height of Mhacha’, from which the city derives its name. According to tradition, St. Patrick had a stone church built on this site in 445AD. Although nothing remains of the original building, a church has stood here since that time. The Book of Armagh states that Patrick decreed that the Church in Armagh should have pre-eminence over all the churches and monasteries in Ireland, a position it holds to this day.
The present building dates from 1268 and was commissioned by Archbishop O’Scannell. In 1428 an accidental fire damaged the Cathedral. Primate John Swayne restored it. In the sixteenth century the Cathedral suffered more burnings and damage. In 1729 the Dean and Chapter turned the south transept into the ‘Bishop’s Court’ blocking up the arches between the Nave and the aisle. In 1765 Archbishop Richard Robinson fitted the Cathedral to make it possible to hold divine services. He did much for Armagh, being responsible for many of the fine buildings we see today, such as the Archbishop’s Palace, the former Public Library (now Armagh Robinson Library), the Royal School and the Observatory.
In 1834 Lewis Nockalls Cottingham, a famous English architect, was employed by Archbishop John Beresford to restore the building. The chief drawback to this restoration was that it disguised beyond recognition nearly all the distinctive traces of Primate O’Scanlan’s building. Later, further minor works of restoration included the reordering of the Chapter and Choir Stalls, as well as the addition of a new Archbishop’s Throne [1887]. In 1903 a reredos of Corsham Stone, representing the Last Supper, was erected behind the Altar, and the easternmost bay of the Choir was fitted as a Lady Chapel. In 1950 extensive repairs were carried out to the roof of the Nave and the North Transept. During the 1970s and 1980s, more interior restoration was undertaken due to an outbreak of dry rot in the Nave and Transepts. The most recent restoration, which included major work to many of the windows, was completed in 2005. A building of such age naturally requires constant attention and repair. This support has been and is given by the parishes of the Diocese, the Cathedral Board, the Cathedral Congregation and the Friends of the Cathedral.
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