Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Encyclopedia
Christ Church Cathedral (or, more formally, The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity) is the cathedral
of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough
and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province
of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland
. It is situated in Dublin, Ireland
and is the elder of the capital city's two mediæval
cathedrals, the other being St Patrick's Cathedral
.
, since the English Reformation
. Though nominally claimed as his cathedral, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin
uses St Mary's
in Malborough Street in Dublin as his pro-cathedral
(acting cathedral).
Christ Church Cathedral is located in the former heart of medieval Dublin, next to Wood Quay
at the end of Lord Edward Street. However a major dual carriage-way building scheme around it separated it from the original medieval street pattern which once surrounded it, with its original architectural context (at the centre of a maze of small buildings and streets) lost due to road-building and the demolition of the older residential quarter at Wood Quay. As a result the cathedral now appears dominant in isolation behind new civil offices along the quays, out of its original medieval context.
Christ Church is the only one of the three cathedrals or acting cathedrals which can be seen clearly from the River Liffey
.
or Donat, and the diocese was at that time a small island of land surrounded by the much larger Diocese of Glendalough, and was for a time answerable to Canterbury rather than to the Irish Church hierarchy. The church was built on the high ground overlooking the Viking settlement at Wood Quay and Sitric gave the "lands of Baldoyle, Raheny and Portrane for its maintenance." Of the four old Celtic Christian churches reputed to have existed around Dublin, only one, dedicated to St. Martin of Tours, lay within the walls of the Viking city, and so Christ Church was one of just two churches for the whole city.
The cathedral was originally staffed by secular clergy. The second Bishop of Dublin introduced the Benedictines. In 1163, Christ Church was converted to a priory of the Regular Order of Arrosian Canons (Reformed Augustinian Rule) by the second Archbishop of Dublin, later saint, Laurence O'Toole, who adhered to the rule himself; it was subsequently headed by an Augustinian prior, who ranked as the second ecclesiastical figure of the diocese, and not a dean, until re-establishment in 1541. This priory, the Priory of the Holy Trinity, became the wealthiest religious house in Ireland, holding over 10000 acres (40.5 km²) of property in County Dublin alone, most notable of which were the three home farms held at Grangegorman
, Glasnevin
and Clonken or Clonkene, now known as Deansgrange
.
attended the Christmas service at the cathedral in 1171. According to the cathedral guidebook this was the first time Henry received Holy Communion following the murder of Thomas Beckett by Henry's knights in Canterbury.
In the 1180s, Strongbow
and other Norman magnates helped to fund a complete rebuilding of Christ Church, initially a wooden building, in stone, comprising the construction of a choir, choir aisles and transepts, the crypt and chapels to St. Edmund
and St. Mary and St. Lô.
A chapel to St Laurence O'Toole
was added in the 13th century and much of the extant nave was built in the 1230s. Its design was inspired by the architecture of the English western school of Gothic, and its wrought stones- of a Somersetshire oolite- were sculpted and laid by craftsmen from the same area.
In 1300 Archbishop Ferings of Dublin arranged an agreement between the two cathedrals, the Pacis Compostio, which acknowledged both as cathedrals and made some provision to accommodate their shared status (see below for more on this).
By 1358, the nave of the cathedral was partly in use for secular purposes and a "long quire" was added, extending the old choir area by around 10 metres.
The cathedral was the location of the purported coronation, in 1487, of Lambert Simnel
, a boy pretender who sought unsuccessfully to depose Henry VII of England
, as "King Edward VI".
In 1493, the choir school was founded.
converted the priory to a cathedral with a dean and chapter and worked to ensure Christ Church adhered to his new church structure. His immediate successor, Edward VI of England
, in 1547, provided funds for an increase in cathedral staffing and annual royal funding for the choir school.
King Edward VI formally suppressed St Patrick's Cathedral and, on 25 April 1547, its silver, jewels and ornaments were transferred to the dean and chapter of Christ Church. This episode ended with a late document of Queen Mary's reign, a deed dated 27 April 1558, comprising a release or receipt by Thomas Leverous, dean, and the chapter of St Patrick's, of the "goods, chattels, musical instruments, etc." belonging to that cathedral and which had been in the possession of the dean and chapter of Christ Church.
Queen Mary I of England
, and later James I of England
, also increased Christ Church's endowment. Meanwhile, in 1551, divine service was sung for the first time in Ireland in English instead of Latin. In 1560, the Bible was first read in English.
By 2011, some Anglicans were able to acknowledge that
In the 17th century, both parliament and the law courts met in buildings erected alongside Christ Church. King James II
himself presided over a state opening of parliament in that location. However, parliament and the law courts both moved elsewhere: the law courts to the newly built Four Courts
and parliament to Chichester House
in Hoggen Green (now College Green
).
Some limited works were carried out between 1829 and 1831 but the building, as with nearby St Patrick's, was in poor condition for much of the 19th century.
, with the sponsorship of distiller Henry Roe of Mount Anville. The great 14th century choir was demolished and a new eastern end was built over the original crypt. He built a new chapter house. The tower was rebuilt. The south nave arcade was rebuilt. The flying buttresses were added as a decorative feature. The north porch was removed. The baptistry was built in its place. Street built the adjacent Synod Hall, taking in the last remnant of St Michael and All Angels's Church
, including the bell tower. The synod house is linked to the cathedral by Street's iconic covered footbridge. Roe spent over £230,000 at the time (over €26 million in 2006 terms). Further renovations were carried out, notably between 1980 and 1982.
Following the extensive renovation in Victorian times, while the seriously decayed structure was preserved from collapse, it remains difficult, to tell which parts of the interior are genuinely medieval and which parts are Victorian
pastiche. Photographs taken from the exterior show the dramatic nature of the rebuilding done by the Victorians. Nonetheless, Christ Church remains a fascinating sampling of surviving medieval and later church building.
, a medieval Norman-Welsh peer and warlord who came to Ireland at the request of King Diarmuid MacMorrough and whose arrival marked the beginning of English involvement in Ireland. The tomb in the nave is believed today not to be Strongbow's, the original tomb having been destroyed centuries ago, an unrelated medieval tomb was moved soon afterwards from a church in Drogheda
to Christ Church and placed as a substitute to the destroyed tomb of Strongbow. As is well documented from a number of sources, the tomb of Strongbow was used as the venue for legal agreements from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Alongside the main tomb is a smaller figure with sloping shoulders, suggesting a female figure, but wearing chain mail, which may indicate that it was a child.
On one wall alongside the choir is the famous mummified group of "Cat and Mouse" found trapped behind the organ and preserved by the very dry air of the cathedral.
Christ Church also contains the largest cathedral crypt (63.4m long) in Britain or Ireland, constructed in 1172-1173. Having been renovated in the early 2000s, it is now open for visitors.
The crypt contains various monuments and historical features, including:
, which contains cathedral offices, meeting rooms and other facilities.
hall, which was built on the site of St Michael's, a prebendal church of Christ Church's which was demolished by Street during his restoration of the cathedral. This hall, which incorporates the old St Michael's tower, was formerly used for hosting general synods and diocesan synods for Dublin, Glendalough and Kildare. It is now home to the Dublinia exhibition about medieval Dublin.
, is known as a "pro-cathedral" in acknowledgement of the fact that the Holy See
recognizes Christ Church as the rightful seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop.
The chapter comprises the dean, precentor (who must be skilled in music), chancellor, treasurer, Archdeacons of Dublin and Glendalough and 12 canons, eight being clergy of the Diocese of Dublin and four clergy of the Diocese of Glendalough (the three most senior in order of appointment are known as the Prebendary of St Michael's, Prebendary of St Michan's and the Prebendary of St John's).
(See Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
for more on the deans and the preceding priors.)
The dean is appointed by the Archbishop of Dublin and, in an arrangement commenced in 1971, is also incumbent of the Christ Church Cathedral Group of Parishes, the day-to-day care of which is in the hands of a vicar appointed by a special board of patronage.
The dean can appoint a deputy and also appoints the cathedral verger. The dean and chapter together appoint the precentor, while the other members of the chapter are appointed by the archbishop.
The board has committees - mid-2007, these are: administration and finance, culture (including the treasury), deanery, fabric, fundraising, health and safety, information technology, music, safeguarding trust and tower.
.
In 1670, six new bells were cast for the tower from cannon metal. These were augmented to eight in 1738 and then to twelve in 1878.
The most recent augmentation was in 1999 when an additional seven bells were added to the ring, giving a grand total of 19 bells, a world record for bells rung this way. Although this does not produce a diatonic scale of 19 notes, it does uniquely provide a choice of combinations: three different 12-bell peals (in the keys of B, C# and F#) as well as 14 and 16 bell peals. At the time of the augmentation, this was only the second 16 full circle bell peal in the world - St Martin's Church
in Birmingham being the first.
The bell-ringing work is led by the "Ringing Master and Master of the Tower".
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough
Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough
The United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough is a diocese of the Church of Ireland in the east of Ireland. It is headed by the Archbishop of Dublin who is also styled the Primate of Ireland...
and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
. It is situated in Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and is the elder of the capital city's two mediæval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
cathedrals, the other being St Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
Saint Patrick's Cathedral , or more formally, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Patrick is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland which was founded in 1191. The Church has designated it as The National Cathedral of Ireland...
.
Overview
Christ Church is officially claimed as the seat (cathedra) of both the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic archbishops of Dublin. In practice, it has been the cathedral of only the Church of Ireland's Archbishop of DublinArchbishop of Dublin (Church of Ireland)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough in the Church of Ireland...
, since the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
. Though nominally claimed as his cathedral, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Church of Ireland has a similar role, heading the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. In both cases, the Archbishop is also Primate of Ireland...
uses St Mary's
St Mary's Pro-Cathedral
St Mary's Church , known also as St Mary's Pro-Cathedral or simply the Pro-Cathedral, is a pro-cathedral and is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland.-Status as "pro-cathedral":...
in Malborough Street in Dublin as his pro-cathedral
Pro-cathedral
A pro-cathedral is a parish church that is temporarily serving as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese.-Usage:In Ireland, the term is used to specifically refer to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin since the Reformation, when Christ Church...
(acting cathedral).
Christ Church Cathedral is located in the former heart of medieval Dublin, next to Wood Quay
Wood Quay
Wood Quay is a riverside area of Dublin that was a site of Viking settlement. Dublin Corporation acquired Wood Quay gradually between 1950 and 1975, finally announcing that it would be the location of their new offices. Finds made during the initial excavation of the site led to a massive, but...
at the end of Lord Edward Street. However a major dual carriage-way building scheme around it separated it from the original medieval street pattern which once surrounded it, with its original architectural context (at the centre of a maze of small buildings and streets) lost due to road-building and the demolition of the older residential quarter at Wood Quay. As a result the cathedral now appears dominant in isolation behind new civil offices along the quays, out of its original medieval context.
Christ Church is the only one of the three cathedrals or acting cathedrals which can be seen clearly from the River Liffey
River Liffey
The Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.-Name:The river was previously named An Ruirthech,...
.
First cathedral
The cathedral was founded probably sometime after 1028 when King Sitric Silkenbeard, the Hiberno-Norse king of Dublin made a pilgrimage to Rome. The first bishop of this new Dublin diocese was DúnánDunan
Dunan is a settlement on the south shore of the sea loch, Loch na Cairidh near Broadford, on the island of Skye in Scotland and is in the council area of Highland.The village of Luib is less than 1 mile east of Dunan along the A87 road....
or Donat, and the diocese was at that time a small island of land surrounded by the much larger Diocese of Glendalough, and was for a time answerable to Canterbury rather than to the Irish Church hierarchy. The church was built on the high ground overlooking the Viking settlement at Wood Quay and Sitric gave the "lands of Baldoyle, Raheny and Portrane for its maintenance." Of the four old Celtic Christian churches reputed to have existed around Dublin, only one, dedicated to St. Martin of Tours, lay within the walls of the Viking city, and so Christ Church was one of just two churches for the whole city.
The cathedral was originally staffed by secular clergy. The second Bishop of Dublin introduced the Benedictines. In 1163, Christ Church was converted to a priory of the Regular Order of Arrosian Canons (Reformed Augustinian Rule) by the second Archbishop of Dublin, later saint, Laurence O'Toole, who adhered to the rule himself; it was subsequently headed by an Augustinian prior, who ranked as the second ecclesiastical figure of the diocese, and not a dean, until re-establishment in 1541. This priory, the Priory of the Holy Trinity, became the wealthiest religious house in Ireland, holding over 10000 acres (40.5 km²) of property in County Dublin alone, most notable of which were the three home farms held at Grangegorman
Grangegorman
Grangegorman Development Agency is an agency of the Government of Ireland charged with redevelopment of the Grangegorman Campus, formerly within the curtilage of St. Brendan's Hospital...
, Glasnevin
Glasnevin
Glasnevin is a largely residential neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland.-Geography:A mainly residential neighbourhood, it is located on the Northside of the city of Dublin . It was originally established on the northern bank of the River Tolka...
and Clonken or Clonkene, now known as Deansgrange
Deansgrange
Deansgrange in is a suburban area of South Dublin, centered around a crossroads. The area shares the name Clonkeen . The area further east of Deansgrange is known as "Kill of the Grange" Deansgrange in is a suburban area of South Dublin, centered around a crossroads. The area shares the name...
.
Norman period
Henry IIHenry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
attended the Christmas service at the cathedral in 1171. According to the cathedral guidebook this was the first time Henry received Holy Communion following the murder of Thomas Beckett by Henry's knights in Canterbury.
In the 1180s, Strongbow
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke , Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland . Like his father, he was also commonly known as Strongbow...
and other Norman magnates helped to fund a complete rebuilding of Christ Church, initially a wooden building, in stone, comprising the construction of a choir, choir aisles and transepts, the crypt and chapels to St. Edmund
Edmund the Martyr
St Edmund the Martyr was a king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.D'Evelyn, Charlotte, and Mill, Anna J., , 1956. Reprinted 1967...
and St. Mary and St. Lô.
A chapel to St Laurence O'Toole
Lorcán Ua Tuathail
Lorcán Ua Tuathail, also known as St Laurence O'Toole, was born at Castledermot, Kildare, Ireland, in 1128, and died at Eu, Normandy, France, on 14 November 1180; he was canonized in 1225 by Pope Honorius III.-Early life:...
was added in the 13th century and much of the extant nave was built in the 1230s. Its design was inspired by the architecture of the English western school of Gothic, and its wrought stones- of a Somersetshire oolite- were sculpted and laid by craftsmen from the same area.
In 1300 Archbishop Ferings of Dublin arranged an agreement between the two cathedrals, the Pacis Compostio, which acknowledged both as cathedrals and made some provision to accommodate their shared status (see below for more on this).
By 1358, the nave of the cathedral was partly in use for secular purposes and a "long quire" was added, extending the old choir area by around 10 metres.
The cathedral was the location of the purported coronation, in 1487, of Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel was a pretender to the throne of England. His claim to be the Earl of Warwick in 1487 threatened the newly established reign of King Henry VII .-Early life:...
, a boy pretender who sought unsuccessfully to depose Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, as "King Edward VI".
In 1493, the choir school was founded.
Reformation period
In 1539, King Henry VIIIHenry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
converted the priory to a cathedral with a dean and chapter and worked to ensure Christ Church adhered to his new church structure. His immediate successor, Edward VI of England
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
, in 1547, provided funds for an increase in cathedral staffing and annual royal funding for the choir school.
King Edward VI formally suppressed St Patrick's Cathedral and, on 25 April 1547, its silver, jewels and ornaments were transferred to the dean and chapter of Christ Church. This episode ended with a late document of Queen Mary's reign, a deed dated 27 April 1558, comprising a release or receipt by Thomas Leverous, dean, and the chapter of St Patrick's, of the "goods, chattels, musical instruments, etc." belonging to that cathedral and which had been in the possession of the dean and chapter of Christ Church.
Queen Mary I of England
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, and later James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, also increased Christ Church's endowment. Meanwhile, in 1551, divine service was sung for the first time in Ireland in English instead of Latin. In 1560, the Bible was first read in English.
By 2011, some Anglicans were able to acknowledge that
"The forced alienation of sacred places from one community to another leaves lasting scars".
Kingdom of Ireland
The foundations of the nave, resting in peat, slipped in 1562, bringing down the south wall and the arched stone roof (the north wall, which visibly leans, survived, and largely dates back to 1230). Partial repairs were carried out but much of the debris was simply levelled and new flooring built over it until 1871.In the 17th century, both parliament and the law courts met in buildings erected alongside Christ Church. King James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
himself presided over a state opening of parliament in that location. However, parliament and the law courts both moved elsewhere: the law courts to the newly built Four Courts
Four Courts
The Four Courts in Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's main courts building. The Four Courts are the location of the Supreme Court, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. The building until 2010 also formerly was the location for the Central Criminal Court.-Gandon's Building:Work based on...
and parliament to Chichester House
Irish Houses of Parliament
The Irish Houses of Parliament , also known as the Irish Parliament House, today called the Bank of Ireland, College Green due to its use as by the bank, was the world's first purpose-built two-chamber parliament house...
in Hoggen Green (now College Green
College Green
College Green is a three-sided "square" in the centre of Dublin. On its northern side is a building known today as the Bank of Ireland which until 1800 was Ireland's Parliament House. To its east stands Trinity College Dublin, the only constituent college of the University of Dublin. To its south...
).
Some limited works were carried out between 1829 and 1831 but the building, as with nearby St Patrick's, was in poor condition for much of the 19th century.
19th and 20th centuries
The cathedral was extensively renovated and rebuilt from 1871 to 1878 by George Edmund StreetGeorge Edmund Street
George Edmund Street was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex.- Life :Street was the third son of Thomas Street, solicitor, by his second wife, Mary Anne Millington. George went to school at Mitcham in about 1830, and later to the Camberwell collegiate school, which he left in 1839...
, with the sponsorship of distiller Henry Roe of Mount Anville. The great 14th century choir was demolished and a new eastern end was built over the original crypt. He built a new chapter house. The tower was rebuilt. The south nave arcade was rebuilt. The flying buttresses were added as a decorative feature. The north porch was removed. The baptistry was built in its place. Street built the adjacent Synod Hall, taking in the last remnant of St Michael and All Angels's Church
St. Michael's Church, Dublin
St. Michael's Church is a former Church of Ireland church located in High St., Dublin, Ireland.-The church:A chapel was originally erected by Donat, Archbishop of Dublin, in 1076, which was converted into a parish church by Archbishop Richard Talbot in 1417. It was used by the Corporation of...
, including the bell tower. The synod house is linked to the cathedral by Street's iconic covered footbridge. Roe spent over £230,000 at the time (over €26 million in 2006 terms). Further renovations were carried out, notably between 1980 and 1982.
Role
Christ Church is the centre of worship for the united dioceses and holds notable annual events such as the Citizenship Service. As the cathedral of the southern province of the Church of Ireland it also hosts ordinations of priests and consecrations of bishops.Impact of the restoration
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
pastiche. Photographs taken from the exterior show the dramatic nature of the rebuilding done by the Victorians. Nonetheless, Christ Church remains a fascinating sampling of surviving medieval and later church building.
Nave
The cathedral famously contains the reputed tomb of StrongbowRichard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke , Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland . Like his father, he was also commonly known as Strongbow...
, a medieval Norman-Welsh peer and warlord who came to Ireland at the request of King Diarmuid MacMorrough and whose arrival marked the beginning of English involvement in Ireland. The tomb in the nave is believed today not to be Strongbow's, the original tomb having been destroyed centuries ago, an unrelated medieval tomb was moved soon afterwards from a church in Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
to Christ Church and placed as a substitute to the destroyed tomb of Strongbow. As is well documented from a number of sources, the tomb of Strongbow was used as the venue for legal agreements from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Alongside the main tomb is a smaller figure with sloping shoulders, suggesting a female figure, but wearing chain mail, which may indicate that it was a child.
On one wall alongside the choir is the famous mummified group of "Cat and Mouse" found trapped behind the organ and preserved by the very dry air of the cathedral.
Crypt
The crypt contains various monuments and historical features, including:
- the oldest known secular carvings in Ireland, two carved statues that until the late 18th century stood outside the Tholsel (Dublin's medieval city hall, which was demolished in 1806)
- a tabernacle and set of candlesticks which were used when the cathedral last operated (for a very short time) under the "Roman rite", when the Roman Catholic king, James IIJames II of EnglandJames II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, having fled England in 1690, came to Ireland to fight for his throne and attended High MassHigh MassHigh Mass may mean:*Solemn Mass, a Tridentine Mass celebrated with deacon and subdeacon *Missa Cantata, a sung Tridentine Mass without deacon and subdeacon...
in the temporary restoration of Christ Church as a Roman Catholic cathedral. - the stocks, formerly in Christ Church Place, made in 1670 and used for the punishment of offenders before the Court of the Dean's Liberty (the small area under the cathedral's exclusive civic authority), moved here in 1870
- historic books and altar goods of the Cathedral
- "The Cat & The Rat" are displayed with an explanatory note.
Chapter house
Behind the altar area, there is the Chapter HouseChapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
, which contains cathedral offices, meeting rooms and other facilities.
Synod hall and bridge
At the west end of the cathedral is a fully integrated stone bridge, leading to the former synodSynod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
hall, which was built on the site of St Michael's, a prebendal church of Christ Church's which was demolished by Street during his restoration of the cathedral. This hall, which incorporates the old St Michael's tower, was formerly used for hosting general synods and diocesan synods for Dublin, Glendalough and Kildare. It is now home to the Dublinia exhibition about medieval Dublin.
Two cathedral issue
For most of their common history, both Christ Church and St Patrick's held the status of cathedral for the Dublin diocese, a rare arrangement which only ended following the move to disestablish the Church of Ireland. In early times, there was considerable conflict over status but under the six-point agreement of 1300, Pacis Compositio, still extant, and in force until 1870:- The consecration and enthronement of the Archbishop of Dublin was to take place at Christ Church - records show that this provision was not always followed, with many archbishops enthroned in both and at least two in St Patrick's only
- Christ Church had formal precedence, as the mother and senior cathedral of the diocese
- Christ Church was to retain the cross, mitre and ring of each deceased Archbishop of Dublin
- Deceased Archbishops of Dublin were to be buried alternately in each of the two cathedrals, unless they personally willed otherwise
- The annual consecration of chrism oil for the diocese was to take place at Christ Church
- The two cathedrals were to act as one, and shared equally in their freedoms
Roman Catholicism
To this day, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, St Mary'sSt Mary's Pro-Cathedral
St Mary's Church , known also as St Mary's Pro-Cathedral or simply the Pro-Cathedral, is a pro-cathedral and is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland.-Status as "pro-cathedral":...
, is known as a "pro-cathedral" in acknowledgement of the fact that the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
recognizes Christ Church as the rightful seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop.
Dean and chapter
The dean and chapter, with the consent of the Archbishop of Dublin, preside over the cathedral, with the dean as "first among equals" in chapter but holding a day-to-day authority, subject to the special roles of some other figures (the dean and chapter together are in a similar position to a rector of a parish).The chapter comprises the dean, precentor (who must be skilled in music), chancellor, treasurer, Archdeacons of Dublin and Glendalough and 12 canons, eight being clergy of the Diocese of Dublin and four clergy of the Diocese of Glendalough (the three most senior in order of appointment are known as the Prebendary of St Michael's, Prebendary of St Michan's and the Prebendary of St John's).
(See Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
The Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin is the senior official of that church, the cathedral of the United Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough in the Church of Ireland, and head of the Chapter, its governing body...
for more on the deans and the preceding priors.)
The dean is appointed by the Archbishop of Dublin and, in an arrangement commenced in 1971, is also incumbent of the Christ Church Cathedral Group of Parishes, the day-to-day care of which is in the hands of a vicar appointed by a special board of patronage.
The dean can appoint a deputy and also appoints the cathedral verger. The dean and chapter together appoint the precentor, while the other members of the chapter are appointed by the archbishop.
Board
Having been historically governed by its clerical chapter alone, since 1872 the cathedral has been operationally overseen by a board comprising nine clerical members (the dean, precentor, two clerical vicars and five other clerics) and nine lay members, elected every third annual Easter vestry. The board has the power to appoint and remove officers of the cathedral other than those whose appointment is vested in the archbishop, or the dean and chapter, or dean, to regulate salaries and to manage financial matters. The board is in a similar position to a select vestry of a parish.The board has committees - mid-2007, these are: administration and finance, culture (including the treasury), deanery, fabric, fundraising, health and safety, information technology, music, safeguarding trust and tower.
Other clergy
There is a dean's vicar (and clerk of the chapter), a vicar of the Cathedral Group of Parishes and posts for a curate sssistant and a student reader. There are also usually honorary clerical vicars.Music
Christ Church has a long musical history, with a well-known cathedral choir and a girls' choir. Along with the precentor, the musical side of its work is led by the "Organist and Director of Music", working with any assistant organist and organ scholar, as well as the "Honorary Keeper of the Music and Music Librarian" and, as at 2007, a "Music Development Officer".List of organists
- 1595 John Fermor
- 1608 Thomas Bateson
- 1631 Randal Jewett
- 1639 Benjamin Rogers
- 1646 John Hawkshaw
- 1688 Thomas Godfrey
- 1689 Thomas Morgan
- 1692 Peter Isaac
- 1694 Thomas Finell
- 1698 Daniel Rosingrave
- 1727 Ralph Rosingrave
- 1747 George Walsh
- 1765 Richard Woodward
- 1777 Samuel Murphy
- 1780 Langrishe Doyle
- 1805 William Warren
- 1816 Francis Robinson
- 1834 John Robinson
- 1844 Sir Robert Prescott Stewart
- 1894 John Horan
- 1906 James Fitzgerald
- 1913 Charles Herbert KitsonCharles Herbert KitsonCharles Herbert Kitson was an English organist, teacher, and music educator, author of several books on harmony and counterpoint. He was born in Leyburn, Yorkshire, and attended school in Ripon. Intending originally to take holy orders, he took his BA and MA at Cambridge, where he was organ...
- 1920 Thomas Henry Weaving
- 1950 Leslie Henry Bret Reed
- 1955 Arnold Thomas McKiernan
- 1980 Peter Sweeney
- 1992 Mark Duley
- 2003 Judy Martin
- 2010 Judith Gannon (Locum)
Bells
Christ Church Cathedral probably had at least one ringing bell from its foundation. By 1440 there were known to be three great bells in the tower, however on 11 March 1597 an accidental gunpowder explosion in one of the nearby quays damaged the tower and caused the bells to crack. The effects of this blast also damaged the tower nearby of St. Audoen's ChurchSt. Audoen's Church
St. Audoen's Church is the church of the parish of St. Audoen in the Church of Ireland, located south of the River Liffey at Cornmarket in Dublin, Ireland. This was close to the centre of the medieval city. The parish is in the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough. St. Audoen's is the oldest parish...
.
In 1670, six new bells were cast for the tower from cannon metal. These were augmented to eight in 1738 and then to twelve in 1878.
The most recent augmentation was in 1999 when an additional seven bells were added to the ring, giving a grand total of 19 bells, a world record for bells rung this way. Although this does not produce a diatonic scale of 19 notes, it does uniquely provide a choice of combinations: three different 12-bell peals (in the keys of B, C# and F#) as well as 14 and 16 bell peals. At the time of the augmentation, this was only the second 16 full circle bell peal in the world - St Martin's Church
St Martin in the Bull Ring
The church of St Martin in the Bull Ring in Birmingham 5, England is a parish church in the Church of England.-Background:It is the original parish church of Birmingham. It stands between the Bull Ring shopping centre and the markets. The church is a Grade II* listed building. The current Rector...
in Birmingham being the first.
The bell-ringing work is led by the "Ringing Master and Master of the Tower".
Administrative staff
The cathedral staff is led by a managing director as of April 2010. It includes a director of operations, with responsibility for the day to day running of the cathedral, the co-ordination of services and events, as well as the supervision of the office staff and vergers (the head verger leads three other vergers). There is also a director of music and a shop manager.Archives and publications
Christ Church has a range of historical archives and has arranged for a number of publications over the years, as well as maintaining a website since the 1990s. This work is overseen by the "Honorary Keeper of the Archives" and the "Web and e-mail Editor, along with the "Honorary Secretary of Christ Church Publications, Ltd".Friends
The cathedral is supported by the voluntary Friends of Christ Church Cathedral, founded in 1929, and working with the cathedral authorities in a variety of ways.Access
As Christ Church receives no regular state support, while it welcomes all guests and has a chapel for those who simply wish to pray, there are fees for sightseeing, which can also be paid in combination with the purchase of a ticket for the neighbouring Dublinia exhibition. There is a gift shop with souvenirs, recordings of cathedral music groups and publications.Group of parishes
In 1971, the General Synod, following prior discussions, created the "Christ Church Cathedral Group of Parishes", uniting what were then four parishes with the cathedral, whose dean is their rector: St Andrew's, St Werburgh's, All Saints (Grangegorman) and St Michan's, St Paul and St Mary. The parishes are overseen day-to-day by a vicar appointed by a special board of patronage.Burials
- Lorcán Ua TuathailLorcán Ua TuathailLorcán Ua Tuathail, also known as St Laurence O'Toole, was born at Castledermot, Kildare, Ireland, in 1128, and died at Eu, Normandy, France, on 14 November 1180; he was canonized in 1225 by Pope Honorius III.-Early life:...
- his heart - John Comyn (archbishop)John Comyn (archbishop)John Comyn , born in England, was Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland.-Life:He was chaplain to King Henry II of England and on his "urgent" recommendation was elected Archbishop of Dublin following the death of St...
- Thomas Cartwright (bishop)Thomas Cartwright (bishop)Thomas Cartwright was an English bishop and diarist, known as a supporter of James II.-Life:He was born and went to school in Northampton, and studied at the University of Oxford. He was first at Magdalen Hall, and then at Queen's College where he was tutored by Thomas Tully. He was ordained by...
- John Maxwell (archbishop)John Maxwell (archbishop)John Maxwell Archbishop of Tuam, son of John Maxwell of Cavens, Kirkcudbrightshire, was born in or before 1586. He was educated at the University of St Andrews, where he was laureated M. A. on 29 July 1611.- Early career :...
- Stephen de FulbournStephen de FulbournStephen de Fulbourn, Archbishop of Tuam, 1286-89.A native of Cambridgeshire, de Fulbourn was translated to Tuam by a Papal bull dated 12 July 1286, having previously been Bishop of Waterford...
- John Parker (archbishop)John Parker (archbishop)John Parker DD was a Church of Ireland clergyman who came to prominence after the English Restoration, first as Bishop of Elphin, then as Archbishop of Tuam and finally as Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland.-Early life:...
- Thomas Lindsay (archbishop)Thomas Lindsay (archbishop)Thomas Lindsay , D.D., B.D., M.A was an Anglican clergyman who served in the Church of Ireland as the Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Bishop of Killaloe, Bishop of Raphoe and finally Archbishop of Armagh....
- Henry Leslie (bishop)Henry Leslie (bishop)Henry Leslie was a Scottishman who became the Church of Ireland Bishop of Down and Connor from 1635 to 1661 and briefly Bishop of Meath from January to April 1661.-Life:...
- St George AsheSt George AsheSt. George Ashe , D.D., a Church of Ireland cleric who served successively as Bishop of Cloyne, Clogher and Derry in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.Ashe was born in County Roscommon in 1658...
- Welbore Ellis (bishop)Welbore Ellis (bishop)Welbore Ellis was an English bishop of Kildare, bishop of Meath and Irish privy councillor.-Life:He was the fourth son of the Rev. John Ellis , rector of Waddesdon, and author of Vindiciæ Catholicæ; and brother to John Ellis and William Ellis. He was educated at Westminster School and at Christ...
- John Garvey (archbishop)John Garvey (archbishop)John Garvey was an Irish Protestant bishop of Kilmore and archbishop of Armagh.-Life:He was eldest son of John O'Garvey of Morisk, County Mayo, born in County Kilkenny. He was educated at the University of Oxford, graduating in the reign of Edward VI...
Further reading
- Floor Tiles: a Guide to the Medieval and 19th Century Floor Tiles of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin by Joanna Wren, Christ Church Cathedral Publications (2002)