The Church of St. Augustine and St. John, commonly known as John's Lane Church, is a large Catholic church located on Thomas Street,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It was opened in 1874 on the site of the medieval St. John's Hospital, founded c. 1180. It is served by the

Augustinian Order Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13th ...

of friars.

History

The original hospital on the site was constructed by Aelred the Palmer, a

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

living in Dublin, after returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He founded a monastery of

Crossed Friars The Crutched Friars (also Crossed or Crouched Friars, cross-bearing brethren) were a Roman Catholic religious order in England and Ireland. Their name is derived from a staff they carried with them surmounted by a crucifix. There were several orde ...

under the Rule of St. Augustine who would also manage a hospital close by, the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. The monastery was dedicated to

St. John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

and stood just outside the city walls, and so was known as St. John's church without Newgate (''Johannis Baptistae extra portem novem dublinensis''). In 1316

Edward Bruce Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick (Norman French: ; ; Modern Scottish Gaelic: or ; 1280 – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 struggle for the Scottish cro ...

marched towards Dublin at the head of his army, with the intention of besieging the city. The Dublin citizens, to prevent any danger from his approach and by common consent, set fire to Thomas Street. However, the flames laid hold of St. John's church and burned it to the ground, together with all the nearby suburbs. About the commencement of the 18th century, an Augustinian Prior rented for their use as a chapel a stable on the western side of St. John's Tower, a surviving fragment of the hospital. About 1740, on the site of part of the hospital, was erected a small church by , which was considerably extended 40 years later. In 1860 it was decided to build a new church. The architect was

Edward Welby Pugin Edward Welby Pugin (11 March 1834 – 5 June 1875) was an English architect, the eldest son of architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Louisa Barton. His father was an architect in the Gothic Revival style, and after his early death in 1 ...

, whose father was

Augustus Welby Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 1812 – 14 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival style of ar ...

, and assisted by his Irish partner and brother-in-law George C. Ashlin a native of Cork.McDermott, Matthew J. (1988). "Dublin's Architectural Development 1800-1925", Tulcamac, p. 239 The remains of the medieval church were demolished and at the time there were the remains of the 'Magdalen' tower from the old church which stood where the high altar stands today. Construction on the modern church was commenced at Easter 1862 under the leadership of Fr.

Martin Crane Martin Crane (born ) is a fictional character from the American television show ''Frasier'', and was played by John Mahoney. An army veteran and retired police detective, he is the father of Frasier and Niles Crane. Biography Although Marti ...

, and it took 33 years to complete. One problem was that the foreman and many of the workmen were Fenians, who got in trouble with the authorities in 1865 and afterwards. For this reason, the church was nicknamed "The Fenian Church".

Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in Howard government, government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving trea ...

: Dublin Churches. Gill and Macmillan, Dublin (1989) The spire, designed by William Hague, and roof were completed in 1874 when the church was opened for Masses. The exterior was completed by 1895 and the interior by 1911. The sculptor Patrick Courtney worked on the internal altar and stone works of the church. The tradition of sculptor/stonemason has continued on down through the Courtney generations at their premises at 9 Thomas Street, and later by the sons and grandsons at Francis Street, Dublin 8.

Church

The church is named after

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

and

, but is popularly known as John's Lane Church, from its location at the corner of John's Lane. The church steeple is the highest steeple in the city, standing at over . It was originally not designed to hold bells, but a spiral staircase was added later to provide access to bells. The Bell Ringers Company of John's Lane was formed in 1872 and the bells were first rung on St. Patrick's Day 1873. The twelve statues in the niches on the tower are the work of James Pearse, father of

Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, Irish poetry, poet, writer, Irish nationalism, nationalist, Irish republicanism, republican political activist a ...

and

Willie Pearse William James Pearse (; 15 November 1881 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish republican executed for his part in the Easter Rising. He was a younger brother of Patrick Pearse, a leader of the rising. Background Willie Pearse was born in Dublin and th ...

. The stained glass in the apse is by Mayer of Munich. The windows are by the

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 ...

studio and Michael Healy.

Bells

There is a peal of ten bells hung in the tower, weighing 22 long hundredweight, 3 quarters and 2 pounds, and in the key of D-flat. The bells were cast by John Murphy of Dublin in 1872 as a ring of eight and installed that year. They were augmented to ten in 1898 with two more bells cast by Charles Carr of

Smethwick Smethwick () is an industrial town in the Sandwell district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire and then Worcestershire before bei ...

. The tower was not originally intended to hold bells, and therefore access is via an open iron staircase which was added later, and which looks out into the nave of the church. The bells are rung once a month.

Notable Friars

Professor & Fr.

F. X. Martin Francis Xavier Martin, OSA (; 2 October 1922 – 13 February 2000) was an Irish cleric, historian and activist. Life Francis Xavier Martin was born 2 October 1922 in Ballylongford, County Kerry, Ireland. Francis was the youngest son in a family ...

(O.S.A.), Chairman of the Friends of Medieval Dublin 1976–1983, and Chairman of the Dublin Historic Settlement Group, tried in vain to save the Viking remains in nearby

Wood Quay Wood Quay () is a riverside area of Dublin that was a site of Viking settlement. It is now the location of the Dublin City Council offices. Location The site is bounded on the north side by Wood Quay on the River Liffey, on the west by W ...

References

External links