The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception 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 denominatio ...

church of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin The Diocese of Elphin (; ga, Deoise Ail Finn) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the western part of Ireland. It is in the Metropolitan Province of Tuam and is subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tuam. The current bishop is Kevin Doran wh ...

. It is located on Temple Street in Sligo,

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 cathedral was developed by Bishop Laurence Gillooly who had been appointed

Bishop of Elphin The Bishop of Elphin (; ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Elphin, County Roscommon, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other ...

in 1858. He decided that the diocese was now of a size and wealth that the time had come to replace St. John's Parish Chapel, which had been recognised as the diocesan pro-cathedral. He engaged

George Goldie Sir George Dashwood Taubman Goldie (20 May 1846 – 20 August 1925) was a Manx administrator who played a major role in the founding of Nigeria. In many ways, his role was similar to that of Cecil Rhodes elsewhere in Africa but he did ...

, one of the foremost Catholic architects in England in the nineteenth century. The cathedral was opened for divine worship on 26 July 1874 by Cardinal Paul Cullen of Dublin. Modelled on a Normano–Romano–Byzantine style, it is the only example of a

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

cathedral built during the 19th century. Designed in the shape of a basilica, the church has a square, pyramid-capped tower, which reaches a height of 70 metres, and supporting turrets at the west end. It can seat 1400 people. The circular

baptistery In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...

incorporated in the

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

with its five lancet windows behind the high altar, was originally designed as a mortuary chapel. File:Sligo-tower.jpg, Tower File:Sligo Cathedral, Ireland.jpg, The cathedral File:SligoCICathedral.JPG, Original St John the Baptist Cathedral, Sligo File:Sligo Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Nave and High Altar 2013 09 14.jpg, Interior of the cathedral, with the high altar

References

External links

Cathedral website
Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Republic of Ireland Roman Catholic churches in County Sligo Roman Catholic churches completed in 1874 George Goldie church buildings 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Ireland {{Ireland-church-stub