St. Aidan's Cathedral ( ga, Ardeaglais Naomh Aodháin) is the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

church of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns The Diocese of Ferns ( ga, Deoise Fhearna) is a Roman Catholic diocese in south-eastern Ireland. It is one of three suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin. ...

. It is located in Enniscorthy,

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

, in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The saint to whom the cathedral is dedicated is Máedóc of Ferns (feast day 31 January), also known as Áedan or Aidan, who died in 626, and not to be confused with St.

Aidan of Lindisfarne Aidan of Lindisfarne ( ga, Naomh Aodhán; died 31 August 651) was an Irish monk and missionary credited with converting the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity in Northumbria. He founded a monastic cathedral on the island of Lindisfarne, known as Lindis ...

(feast day 31 August), an Irish missionary who died in 651.

History

With the completion of the old Cathedral in 1809, Enniscorthy becomes the Episcopal Centre of the Diocese of Ferns. Eventually, the building proved in need of repair and inadequate for the needs of the diocese. A new cathedral, designed by Augustus Welby Pugin, reputedly based on Tintern Abbey in Wales, was built in 1843. It was the largest church Pugin had designed in Ireland. It was constructed in dressed local stone, including stone salvaged from a nearby ruined Franciscan Friary. Notable features include the façade, a

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

carved from Caen stone and a great north window with intricate stone tracery. The cathedral was subsequently much renovated in line with reforms promulgated by the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

. It was restored to its near original design in 1994 when authentic colours, materials and techniques were used. The restoration took a year, during which time cathedral services were held at St Mary's church (

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

) nearby. The cathedral is similar in structure to

St Mary's Cathedral, Killarney St. Mary's Cathedral, Killarney, is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Kerry situated to the west of Killarney in County Kerry, Ireland. Architecture St. Mary's Cathedral was designed by the renowned English architect Augustus Welby Pugin ...

.''Irish churches and monasteries: an historical and architectural guide'' by Seán D. O'Reilly, 1997

Gallery

File:Enniscorthy St. Aidan's Cathedral Nave N 2009 09 28.jpg, Cathedral nave File:Enniscorthy St. Aidan's Cathedral East Aisle Second Window Evangelist John Detail 2009 09 28.jpg,

Stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

of John the Evangelist File:Enniscorthy St. Aidan's Cathedral West Aisle Pieta 2009 09 28.jpg,

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form o ...

statue File:Enniscorthy St. Aidan's Cathedral East Aisle Fifth Window Saint Aidan Detail 2009 09 28.jpg, Stained Glass of St. Máedóc of Ferns (Aidan)

Notes

External links

Cathedral website
{{DEFAULTSORT:St Aidan's Cathedral Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Republic of Ireland Religious buildings and structures in County Wexford Gothic Revival church buildings in the Republic of Ireland Augustus Pugin buildings Enniscorthy 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Ireland Roman Catholic churches completed in 1843