St Patrick's Cathedral, Killala is one of two cathedral churches (the other is

St Mary's Cathedral, Tuam St Mary's Cathedral ( ga, Ard-Eaglais Mhuire) is a cathedral church of the Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe in the Church of Ireland. It is located in Tuam, County Galway, in Ireland. From the 12th century until 1839, both before and af ...

) in the

Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe The Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe (full title The United Dioceses of Tuam, Killala, Achonry, Limerick, Ardfert, Aghadoe, Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh and Emly) is a diocese of the Church of Ireland that is located in th ...

of the Church of Ireland. It is situated on the Ballina to Ballycastle road in the small coastal village of Killala, County Mayo, Ireland, in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. The Cathedral Church of St Patrick is one of Ireland’s smallest cathedrals and consists of a long rectangular four-bay gable-ended nave (32 m x 10 m) with a square tower and spire at the west end and a gable-ended vestry at the north end. A staircase leads to a gallery in the nave. The nave is fitted with boxed pews and a rare Telford organ dating from 1838. The graveyard contains a 9th-century souterrain with several chambers.

History

"The Episcopal See of Killala appears to have been founded between the years 434 and 441 by

St. Patrick ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

, who, during that period, was propagating the faith of Christianity in the province of Connaught; and built a church at this place, called Kill-Aladh, over which he placed one of his disciples, St. Muredach, as bishop." (Samuel Lewis, writing in his 1837 Topographical Dictionary). The Diocese of Killala was established at the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111. The medieval cathedral was probably destroyed in the troubles of the 16th century. It was certainly in ruins by 1611. The present building was constructed in the 1670s, during the episcopate of Thomas Otway,

Bishop of Killala and Achonry The Bishop of Killala and Achonry was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Killala and Achonry in the Ecclesiastical Province of Tuam. The diocese comprised part of Counties Mayo and Sligo in Ireland. The Episcopal see was a union o ...

,"The Cathedrals of the Church of Ireland" Day, J.G.F./ Patton, H.E. p71: London,

S.P.C.K. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) is a UK-based Christian charity. Founded in 1698 by Thomas Bray, it has worked for over 300 years to increase awareness of the Christian faith in the UK and across the world. The SPCK is th ...

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

using the rubble and stone from the medieval cathedral. The tower and spire and the vestry were added to the building in 1817 by the architect James Paine. Extensive restoration of nave and chancel walls and windows was carried out in the early 1990s and plans are now in hand to restore the organ soundboard.

References

Killala online

Conservation report - Buildings and Grounds
{{Cathedrals of the Church of Ireland Killala Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry

History

See also

References