St Mary’s 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 Ossory The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory ( ga, Deoise Osraí) is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of three suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Dublin.

. It is situated on James’s Street,

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

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 ...

. Saint Mary’s was designed by William Deane Butler (c.1794-1857). He was chosen by Bishop William Kinsella (1793-1845) who instigated the building of St. Mary’s in February 1842. Work began in April 1843 and finished in 1857. On Sunday 4 October 1857, St. Mary’s had its grand opening, which consisted of a two-and-three-quarter hour ceremony that began at 6.15am. The cost of the building is estimated to have been £25,000. St. Mary’s is made from cut-limestone which was sourced locally. The cathedral has a

cruciform Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described ...

plan and its style is described as ‘

Early English Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

’. The design is believed to have been based on

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is situated on the highest point in Kilkenny City and is a significant local landmark. The cathedral is variously referred to as "St Mary’s", "the church of St Kieran" and "the Cathedral of the Assumption". Its bell in the steeple was made by John Murphy, a Dublin foundry. It rings every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day, marking the quarter hour, half hour and hour with different patterns and an extended peal of bells marks midday and midnight. St. Mary’s has a noted sculpture of the

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Giovanni Maria Benzoni Giovanni Maria Benzoni (28 August 1809 – 28 April 1873) was an Italian neoclassical sculptor. He was trained in Rome, where he later set up his own workshop. Benzoni designed some of his sculptures with a production line in mind using ot ...

(1809-1873).

Gallery

File:Kilkenny St Mary Cathedral Nave 2007 08 29.jpg, Rear nave File:St Mary's Cathedral (13414140743).jpg, Nave facing the Sanctuary St. Mary's Cathedral Kilkenny interior 2018f.jpg, Apse File:Kilkenny St Mary Cathedral Apse Vault.jpg, Vault in the apse Image:Kilkenny St Mary's Cathedral1.jpg, Main façade Image:Kilkenny 3, Ireland.jpg, Tower, transept (left) and apse (right) Image:Kilkenny Panorama.jpg, Kilkenny Panorama with St Mary's Cathedral at Background

References

External links

*
St. Mary’s
website. * St. Mary’s cathedral on th
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
website * A good history of St Mary’

* A biography o
William Deane Butler

A List of architects and designers
that worked on St Mary’s Cathedral. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Republic of Ireland Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory Gothic Revival church buildings in the Republic of Ireland 1842 establishments in Ireland Religious organizations established in 1842 Roman Catholic churches in Kilkenny (city) Roman Catholic churches completed in 1857 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Ireland