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 denominatio ...

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 Enniscorthy () is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Ireland. At the 2016 census, the population of the town and environs was 11,381. The town is located on the picturesque River Slaney and in close proximity to the Blackstairs Mountain ...

, County Wexford, 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 Saint Máedóc of Ferns (; 6th & 7th century), also known as Saint Aidan ( ga, Áedan; cy, Aeddan; la, Aidanus and '), or Saint Mogue ( ga, Mo Aodh Óg), was an Irish saint who was the first Bishop of Ferns in County Wexford and the f ...

(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 Lindi ...

(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 Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

, 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 carved from

Caen stone Caen stone (french: Pierre de Caen) is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in north-western France near the city of Caen. The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about ...

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 ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

. 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 secon ...

) nearby. The cathedral is similar in structure to St Mary's Cathedral, Killarney.''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 of

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given ...

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 ...

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

(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