St. Teresa's Carmelite Church is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church on Clarendon Street in

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. Originally accessed via

Wicklow Street Wicklow Street () is an established shopping street located in 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, pro ...

, there is an additional entrance off Johnson's Court near

Grafton Street Grafton Street () is one of the two principal shopping streets in Dublin city centre — the other being Henry Street. It runs from St Stephen's Green in the south (at the highest point of the street) to College Green in the north (the low ...

. First constructed in the late 18th century, the church was expanded and significant interior works were undertaken in the late 19th century. The church is run by friars of the

Discalced Carmelite order The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel () or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (; abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, ), is a Catholic mendicant ...

History

The church was originally built between 1793 and 1810, and extensively redeveloped in the late 19th century. It is one of the oldest standing Catholic churches in Dublin, and is included, together with its

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

, in the

Record of Protected Structures Conservation in the Republic of Ireland is overseen by a number of statutory and non-governmental agencies, including those with responsibility for Historic preservation, conservation of the built environment and Environmental protection, conservat ...

maintained by

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...

. Dedicated to

Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada; 28March 15154or 15October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during the Counter-Re ...

, the church is historically associated with the

Discalced Carmelite Order The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel () or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (; abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, ), is a Catholic mendicant ...

. It was built on lands acquired by John Sweetman, a Dublin-based brewer, in the late 18th century.

Daniel O'Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...

reputedly held meetings in the church in the early nineteenth century.

Features

Its interior works include an oratory (completed ) and altar (1891) are attributed to

George Ashlin George Coppinger Ashlin (28 May 1837 – 10 December 1921) was an Irish architect, particularly noted for his work on churches and cathedrals, and who became President of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. Biography Ashlin was ...

, with additional developments associated with

William Hague William Jefferson Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond (born 26 March 1961) is a British politician and life peer who was Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001 and Deputy Leader from 2005 to 2010. He was th ...

and

William Henry Byrne William Henry Byrne (17 May 184428 April 1917) was an Irish architect who mainly designed churches. He studied under James Joseph McCarthy before going into business with John O’Neill in 1869. He worked on his own after O'Neill's death in 1883. ...

. A statue of ''

The Dead Christ ''The Dead Christ'' or ''The Redeemer in Death'' is a statue of Jesus Christ executed in white Carrara marble by the Irish sculptor John Hogan (1800–1858). The work was first sculpted by Hogan when he was based in Rome, alongside other artists ...

'' (1829), by sculptor John Hogan, is beneath the church's high altar. A bronze sculpture on the exterior of the church's bell tower, the "Angel of Peace" by German-Irish artist

Imogen Stuart Imogen Stuart (née Werner; 1927 – 24 March 2024) was a German-Irish sculptor, influenced by 19th-century Expressionism and early Irish Christian art. She mainly produced wood and stone for settings for churches but also created many secular ...

, was unveiled in January 2008.

References

External links

*
Website of St. Teresa's Church, Clarendon Street
{{coord, 53.3421, -6.2608, region:IE_type:landmark, display=title Carmelite churches in Ireland Roman Catholic churches in Dublin (city) 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Ireland 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Ireland