The Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim, also known as Cavan Cathedral, is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

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 ...

located in

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Ba ...

, Ireland. It is the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of the

Bishop of Kilmore The Bishop of Kilmore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the parish of Kilmore, County Cavan in Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishop ...

, and the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metr ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore.

History

In 1152, the Diocese of Kilmore was formally established by Cardinal

Giovanni Paparoni Giovanni Cardinal Paparoni (sometimes known in English as John Cardinal Paparo; died ca. 1153/1154) was an Italian Cardinal and prominent papal legate in dealings with Ireland and Scotland. He was created Cardinal by Pope Celestine II in 1143. He p ...

at the

synod of Kells The Synod of Kells (, ) took place in 1152, under the presidency of Giovanni Cardinal Paparoni, and continued the process begun at the Synod of Ráth Breasail (1111) of reforming the Irish church. The sessions were divided between the abbeys o ...

. In 1454,

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene made ...

gave permission for the ancient church at Kilmore (founded in the sixth century by Saint Felim) to be the

cathedral church 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 ...

of Kilmore diocese. It was rebuilt and became known in Irish as ''An Chill Mhór'' (meaning ''Great Church'') and

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

as Kilmore, which gave its name to the diocese, a name which has remained ever since. During the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

, the Roman Catholic diocese lost possession of the cathedral and all the other

temporalities Temporalities or temporal goods are the secular properties and possessions of the church. The term is most often used to describe those properties (a ''Stift'' in German or ''sticht'' in Dutch) that were used to support a bishop or other religious ...

and passed into the hands of the

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 l ...

. Following the completion of the new Anglican cathedral in 1860, the pre-Reformation cathedral became a Church of Ireland parochial hall. For almost 300 years the Roman Catholic diocese did not have a cathedral. In 1862, Cavan parish church was extended and it became the new cathedral of the diocese under Bishop James Browne.

The Cathedral

In 1938 construction of the present cathedral began, and was completed in 1942 under Bishop Patrick Lyons. Ralph Byrne of W.H. Byrne & Son were the architects of the new cathedral. The plan layout is quite unorthodox for Irish churches. The nave is lined with columns which extend down both sides, and unusually turn to form what could appear to be the beginning of a rood screen. Meanwhile, the transepts form a strong line across the cathedral without being impacted by the nave. The altar is in a recess opposite the nave. The church is beautifully built in a white granite by John Sisk & Son at a total build cost of £209,000. Externally the cathedral is dominated by a classical portico surmounted by a tower. The cathedral was dedicated to Saint Patrick and Saint Felim in 1942 and consecrated in 1947.

Leaded Glass

There are artistic stained glass windows by George Collie. Six stained glass windows from the studios of

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau a ...

were added to the cathedral in 1994.

Sculpture

Some of the sculpture work was undertaken by Albert Power.

Commentaries

The design of the cathedral has not been well received by commentators. "The cathedral is a disappointing sham-Renaissance structure by Ralph Byrne."Lord Kilanin & Michael V. Duignan, 'The Shell Guide to Ireland'(London, 1967), p. 159

References

External links

Information on the cathedral from the Diocese of Kilmore
Buildings and structures in County Cavan Cavan (town) Neoclassical church buildings in Ireland Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Republic of Ireland Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore Roman Catholic churches completed in 1947 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Ireland {{europe-RC-cathedral-stub