Waterford Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford is a cathedral
of the Church of Ireland
in Waterford
City, Ireland
. It is in the ecclesiastical province
of Dublin.
Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Waterford, it is now one of six cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory
.
. Following the Irish Reformation, a new body was established by decree of the Irish Parliament to became the State Church
in the Kingdom of Ireland
. The Church of Ireland, as it was named, assumed possession of most church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful to the Latin liturgy of Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Since Christ Church Cathedral was taken over in this way, Roman Catholic adherents were consequently obliged to worship elsewhere. By 2011, some Anglicans were able to acknowledge that
In the 18th century, the city corporation recommended that the bishop erect a new building. The architect was John Roberts, who was responsible for much of Georgian
Waterford.
During the demolition of the old cathedral, a series of medieval vestment
s were discovered in 1773. They were presented by the then Anglican bishop, the Rt Revd Richard Chenevix, to his Roman Catholic counterpart, the Most Revd Peter Creagh, and are now kept in the Museum of Treasures in Waterford and the National Museum in Dublin.
The present building has been described by architectural historian Mark Girouard
as the finest 18th century ecclesiastical building in Ireland.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of 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...
in Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
City, Ireland
Ireland
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...
. It is in 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 Dublin.
Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Waterford, it is now one of six cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory
Diocese of Cashel and Ossory
The United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory is a diocese of the Church of Ireland in southern Ireland...
.
Ecclesiastical history
The first church on the site was built in the 11th century. This was replaced in 1210 by a Gothic CathedralGothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
. Following the Irish Reformation, a new body was established by decree of the Irish Parliament to became the State Church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
in the Kingdom of Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
. The Church of Ireland, as it was named, assumed possession of most church property (and so retained a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained faithful to the Latin liturgy of Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Since Christ Church Cathedral was taken over in this way, Roman Catholic adherents were consequently obliged to worship elsewhere. By 2011, some Anglicans were able to acknowledge that
"The forced alienation of sacred places from one community to another leaves lasting scars"
In the 18th century, the city corporation recommended that the bishop erect a new building. The architect was John Roberts, who was responsible for much of Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
Waterford.
During the demolition of the old cathedral, a series of medieval vestment
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
s were discovered in 1773. They were presented by the then Anglican bishop, the Rt Revd Richard Chenevix, to his Roman Catholic counterpart, the Most Revd Peter Creagh, and are now kept in the Museum of Treasures in Waterford and the National Museum in Dublin.
The present building has been described by architectural historian Mark Girouard
Mark Girouard
Dr Mark Girouard MA, PhD, DipArch, FSA is a British architectural writer, an authority on the country house, leading architectural historian, and biographer of James Stirling.- Family life :...
as the finest 18th century ecclesiastical building in Ireland.
See also
- Bishop of WaterfordBishop of WaterfordThe Bishop of Waterford was a medieval prelate, governing the Diocese of Waterford from its creation in the 11th century until it was absorbed into the new Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore in the 14th century...
- Bishop of Waterford and LismoreBishop of Waterford and LismoreThe Bishop of Waterford and Lismore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Waterford and town of Lismore in the Republic of Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1838, and is still used by the Catholic Church....
- Bishop of Cashel and WaterfordBishop of Cashel and WaterfordThe Bishop of Cashel and Waterford was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Cashel and Waterford; comprising all of County Waterford, the southern part of County Tipperary and a small part of County Limerick, Ireland.-History:In the Church of Ireland, although not in the Roman Catholic...
- Bishop of Cashel and OssoryBishop of Cashel and OssoryThe Bishop of Cashel and Ossory is the Ordinary of the United Diocese of Cashel, Waterford and Lismore with Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin in the Church of Ireland...