Christ the King Cathedral, Mullingar
Encyclopedia
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
located in Mullingar
Mullingar
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath...
, County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
, 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,...
. It is situated near the centre of Mullingar next to the Royal Canal, and overlooks the local Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
station on College Street.
The cathedral is both the cathedral church of the diocese of Meath
Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath
The Diocese of Meath is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh...
and the principal centre of worship in the catholic parish of Mullingar - including parts of counties Meath and Westmeath.
Construction
William Byrne & Sons of Dublin designed the cathedral to be basillican
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
in form and renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
in style. Its distinctive twin towers, surmounted by bronze crosses, rise to a height of about 55 metres. It was built with a seating capacity of 5,000.
Building began in March 1933 and the foundation stone was laid on 6 August of that year by Bishop Thomas Mulvany. Messrs. Murphy of Dublin were the builders, while much of the artistic decoration work was completed by Earley & Co. of Camden Street, Dublin and Oppenheimer Ltd., of Old Trafford, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
The formal opening and dedication of the new cathedral took place on 6 September 1936. At the request of Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
, it became the first cathedral in the world to be dedicated to Christ the King
Christ the King
Christ the King is a title of Jesus based on several passages of Scripture. It is used by most Christians. The Roman Catholic Church, together with many Protestant denominations, including the Anglican Churches, Presbyterians, Lutherans and Methodists, celebrate the Feast of Christ the King on the...
. It was solemnly consecrated on 6 August 1939.
The total cost of the building, including decoration was £275,000.
Mosaics
Saint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
and Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
. These are the work of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n born mosaic artist Boris Anrep
Boris Anrep
Boris Vasilyevich Anrep was a Russian artist, active in Britain, who devoted himself to the art of mosaic....
, whose work may also be found in Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
.
The Saint Patrick mosaic represents the saint lighting the Paschal
Paschal
Paschal is a variant spelling of the name Pascal , from Latin Paschalis. Two popes and two antipopes have taken this name:* Antipope Paschal * Pope Paschal I * Pope Paschal II...
fire on the mount of Slane
Slane
Slane is a village in County Meath, in Ireland. The village stands on a steep hillside on the left bank of the River Boyne at the intersection of the N2 and the N51 . In 2006 Slane's population was 1,099, having grown from 823 in 2002. The population of the village and the surrounding rural area...
. The principal figure is that of the saint in his apostolic mission, lifting the cross in a vigorous movement, in his other hand holding a torch. The firewood is arranged in a Christogram
Christogram
A Christogram is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbol. Different types of Christograms are associated with the various traditions of Christianity, e.g...
, signifying the symbolic importance of the fire.
In the Saint Anne mosaic, the name is spelled "Anna". The saint's image is also said to resemble the poet Anna Akhmatova
Anna Akhmatova
Anna Andreyevna Gorenko , better known by the pen name Anna Akhmatova , was a Russian and Soviet modernist poet, one of the most acclaimed writers in the Russian canon.Harrington p11...
. The mosaic artist (Anrep) had an affair with Akhmatova during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He left Russia before the Bolsheviks seized power, and although he didn’t contact her for 48 years, she remained the muse who haunted his imagination. While she has appeared in several of his mosaics, this one in Mullingar is the only to include her name. (In return, up to 34 of her poems are about him.)
External links
- Official website for the diocese
- Diocese of Meath (Giga-Catholic Information)
- Catholic-Hierarchy.org - Diocese Profile
- Profile from CatholicCity.com - info from Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...