St Eugene's Cathedral
Encyclopedia
St Eugene's Cathedral is the Roman Catholic cathedral
located in Derry
, Northern Ireland
. It is the "Mother Church" for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry
, as well as the parish Church of the parish of Templemore.
, but also in America
where around £4,000 was raised. The architect commissioned to design the cathedral was J.J. McCarthy who had already built numerous cathedrals across Ireland. The plan of the cathedral is a simple neo-gothic
expression.
The cathedral was officially opened on 4 May 1873 by the then Bishop of Derry
, Francis Kelly. The project to build the cathedral's bell tower
and spire was postponed until a further date as no funds were available for the project. At first the cathedral's windows were made of just plain glass due to lack of funds. It was not until the late 1890s when stained glass windows
were installed. Work on the bell tower and spire began on 13 August 1900, with the contract to build the tower and spire being awarded to Courtney and Co from Belfast
. Work was completed on 19 June 1903.
in 1962/1964 meant that the sanctuary of the cathedral had to be reorganised. In May 1964 the temporary wooden altar was placed in the sanctuary to accommodate the mass being said in English and facing the congregation. Further temporary work was carried out in late 1975 with the addition of a larger wooden altar on a newly extended wooden sanctuary floor, the removal of the altar rails
and the removal of the pulpit
from the left hand side of the sanctuary to the right hand side, just in time before Christmas Midnight Mass
was transmitted live via Eurovision from the cathedral.
In 1984 fundraising began for the renovation work to the cathedral, which its main structure was over a hundred years old and in desperate need of repair. From 1984 until 1988, exterior renovation work took place on the cathedral with the extension of the sacristy
and building of a brand new conference room. In June 1989 the cathedral was closed for six months for a permanent reorganisation of the sanctuary. The old temporary fittings were removed and a new sanctuary floor made from Sardinia
n granite
was completed. A new square altar made from Carrara
marble
was made and installed in the sanctuary under the chancel
arch. The old pulpit was taken out and a brand new lectern made of marble was installed. The celebrant's chair and tabernacle
stand were all made from Carrara and Macedonia
n marble. A new tabernacle was made in silver plated bronze, and was constructed by a Kilkenny
silversmith, Peter Donovan. A new secondary porch was created in the main entrance in the 1989 renovations along with a new small porch in the North aisle. The main high altar table was taken out, however the original reredos
which was installed in 1904, was kept. A new lighting scheme was installed, to give the cathedral more brightness and warmth which it had lacked for many years. A new sound system was also installed which gave the cathedral excellent amplification. The whole interior of the cathedral was redecorated. The cathedral's brand new interior was opened and consecrated by the then Bishop of Derry, Edward Daly
on 17 December 1989.
. Only for the Cathedral's extremely lively acoustic, the instrument is of questionable musical quality. No pipes are visible, which detracts greatly from the overall appearance of the West end. The fine stone carved gallery and rose window above, are marred by what looks more like a loudspeaker cabinet than an organ. By the late 1990s this organ had fallen into only sporadic use, with the main Sunday services being accompanied by a Johannus electronic instrument located in the south aisle.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
located in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is the "Mother Church" for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry
Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry
The Diocese of Derry is a diocese in the north of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. The diocese was established in the year 1158.-Ordinaries:...
, as well as the parish Church of the parish of Templemore.
History
It wasn't until the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, that the possibility of building a Roman Catholic cathedral in Derry could be contemplated. Fundraising for the building of the cathedral took place from 1840. Work began on the construction of the cathedral in 1849. The cathedral's location is next to Francis Street and Creggan Street in Derry. The total cost of building the cathedral amounted to just over £40,000. Money was raised not just in Derry and IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, but also in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where around £4,000 was raised. The architect commissioned to design the cathedral was J.J. McCarthy who had already built numerous cathedrals across Ireland. The plan of the cathedral is a simple neo-gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
expression.
The cathedral was officially opened on 4 May 1873 by the then Bishop of Derry
Bishop of Derry
The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...
, Francis Kelly. The project to build the cathedral's bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
and spire was postponed until a further date as no funds were available for the project. At first the cathedral's windows were made of just plain glass due to lack of funds. It was not until the late 1890s when stained glass windows
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
were installed. Work on the bell tower and spire began on 13 August 1900, with the contract to build the tower and spire being awarded to Courtney and Co from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. Work was completed on 19 June 1903.
Post Vatican II changes
The changes to the Roman Catholic liturgyCatholic liturgy
The Catholic Church is fundamentally liturgical and sacramental in its public life of worship.-Liturgical principles:As explained in greater detail in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its shorter Compendium, the liturgy is something that "the whole Christ", Head and Body, celebrates —...
in 1962/1964 meant that the sanctuary of the cathedral had to be reorganised. In May 1964 the temporary wooden altar was placed in the sanctuary to accommodate the mass being said in English and facing the congregation. Further temporary work was carried out in late 1975 with the addition of a larger wooden altar on a newly extended wooden sanctuary floor, the removal of the altar rails
Altar rails
Altar rails are a set of railings, sometimes ornate and frequently of marble or wood, delimiting the chancel in a church, the part of the sanctuary that contains the altar. A gate at the centre divides the line into two parts. The sanctuary is a figure of heaven, into which entry is not guaranteed...
and the removal of the pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
from the left hand side of the sanctuary to the right hand side, just in time before Christmas Midnight Mass
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
was transmitted live via Eurovision from the cathedral.
In 1984 fundraising began for the renovation work to the cathedral, which its main structure was over a hundred years old and in desperate need of repair. From 1984 until 1988, exterior renovation work took place on the cathedral with the extension of the sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
and building of a brand new conference room. In June 1989 the cathedral was closed for six months for a permanent reorganisation of the sanctuary. The old temporary fittings were removed and a new sanctuary floor made from Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
n granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
was completed. A new square altar made from Carrara
Carrara
Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
was made and installed in the sanctuary under the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch. The old pulpit was taken out and a brand new lectern made of marble was installed. The celebrant's chair and tabernacle
Church tabernacle
A tabernacle is the fixed, locked box in which, in some Christian churches, the Eucharist is "reserved" . A less obvious container, set into the wall, is called an aumbry....
stand were all made from Carrara and Macedonia
Macedonia
Macedonia may refer to:*Republic of Macedonia, a modern country in southeastern Europe*Macedonia , a region of Greece*Macedonia , a wider geographical and historical region covering both of the above, as well as parts of Bulgaria, Albania, and SerbiaHistorical entities*Macedonia , also known as...
n marble. A new tabernacle was made in silver plated bronze, and was constructed by a Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
silversmith, Peter Donovan. A new secondary porch was created in the main entrance in the 1989 renovations along with a new small porch in the North aisle. The main high altar table was taken out, however the original reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
which was installed in 1904, was kept. A new lighting scheme was installed, to give the cathedral more brightness and warmth which it had lacked for many years. A new sound system was also installed which gave the cathedral excellent amplification. The whole interior of the cathedral was redecorated. The cathedral's brand new interior was opened and consecrated by the then Bishop of Derry, Edward Daly
Edward Daly (bishop)
Edward Daly , D.D., was the Catholic Lord Bishop of Derry from 1974 to 1993.- Early life & priestly ministry :...
on 17 December 1989.
Organs
The organ has always been located in a west end gallery. The original organ was built by Telford of Dublin and installed in 1873. In the mid 1950s this instrument was replaced with an 11 rank extension organ by the John Compton Organ company of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Only for the Cathedral's extremely lively acoustic, the instrument is of questionable musical quality. No pipes are visible, which detracts greatly from the overall appearance of the West end. The fine stone carved gallery and rose window above, are marred by what looks more like a loudspeaker cabinet than an organ. By the late 1990s this organ had fallen into only sporadic use, with the main Sunday services being accompanied by a Johannus electronic instrument located in the south aisle.