Ferns Cathedral: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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The original medieval cathedral was built by Bishop St. John in the 1230s. 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 original medieval cathedral was built by Bishop St. John in the 1230s. 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 Ferns Cathedral was taken over in this way, [[Roman Catholic]] adherents were consequently obliged to worship elsewhere. |
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As one Anglican cleric acknowledged in 2011 <blockquote>"The forced alienation of sacred places from one community to another leaves lasting scars"<ref>[http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2011/1117/1224307706864.html The Irish Times, ''An ecumenical matter'', Revd MICHAEL THOMPSON, Thursday, November 17, 2011.]</ref></blockquote> This is a sentiment shared by many people in all communities in Ireland. Cordial relations now exist between the Catholic and Church of Ireland communities in this part of Ireland. A [[St. Aidan's Cathedral|cathedral]] for the Catholic adherents, also dedicated to [[Máedóc of Ferns|Saint Aidan]], was erected in [[Enniscorthy]] in the nineteenth century to a design by Pugin. |
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[[File:Ferns Cathedral Chancel 2009 09 28.jpg|thumb|Surviving ruin of the medieval chancel]] |
[[File:Ferns Cathedral Chancel 2009 09 28.jpg|thumb|Surviving ruin of the medieval chancel]] |
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Revision as of 16:06, 11 November 2012
| Ferns Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| The Cathedral Church of St. Edan, Ferns | |
 | |
 | |
| 52°35′33″N 6°29′52″W / 52.59250°N 6.49778°W | |
| Location | Ferns, County Wexford |
| Country | Ireland |
| Denomination | Church of Ireland |
| Website | Ferns Cathedral |
| History | |
| Dedication | St. Edan (Máedóc of Ferns) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Province of Dublin |
| Diocese | Diocese of Cashel and Ossory |
| Clergy | |
| Dean | The Very Rev'd. Dr Paul Mooney |
| Chaplain(s) | The Rev'd M Sykes |
| Laity | |
| Organist(s) | S Milne |
The Cathedral Church of St Edan is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Ferns, County Wexford in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin.
Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Ferns, it is now one of six cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory.
History
The original medieval cathedral was built by Bishop St. John in the 1230s. 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 Ferns Cathedral was taken over in this way, Roman Catholic adherents were consequently obliged to worship elsewhere.
As one Anglican cleric acknowledged in 2011
"The forced alienation of sacred places from one community to another leaves lasting scars"[1]
This is a sentiment shared by many people in all communities in Ireland. Cordial relations now exist between the Catholic and Church of Ireland communities in this part of Ireland. A cathedral for the Catholic adherents, also dedicated to Saint Aidan, was erected in Enniscorthy in the nineteenth century to a design by Pugin.
The building was burnt down in Elizabethan times and only a small portion of the ruins remain. Although Queen Elizabeth I of England ordered it rebuilt, only a section of the quire was restored. This was subsequently further altered in the early 1800s.[2] Of the surviving medieval fabric the blind arcading of the chancel is of particular note as are the north and south lancets and viscae of the East Wall. The central lancets are a conjectural restoration. There is a very fine medieval episcopal effigy by the font and the remains of some pillars of the quire arcade are to be seen in the walls to the west of the new chancel arch. The eighteenth or early nineteenth century west tower may well be on the site of a crossing of the mediaeval cathedral. An earlier belief that the present cathedral was part of the nave of the older building was based on the existence of remains of a separate medieval church, on the same axis, some way to the east. The chancel arcade and Eastern lancets challenge this conjecture as does the marked difference of floor level which, in the Eastern fragment, is some metres lower.
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (of the first creation), Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland (1130 – 20 April 1176), also commonly known as Strongbow (French: Arc-Fort), is interred at Ferns Cathedral.
Vandalism
The cathedral was vandalised in early 2009 by youths. Many panes of glass were broken in the cathedral and the pane of glass protecting the magnificent east window was cracked. Headstones in the adjacent St Peter's Cemetery were knocked over.[3]
References
- ^ The Irish Times, An ecumenical matter, Revd MICHAEL THOMPSON, Thursday, November 17, 2011.
- ^ The cathedral was reordered again in the early 1900s through the efforts of Dean Gibson. An internal chancel arch was raised, and a quire and sanctuary created. Chapter stall were re-used from Kilkenny cathedral ( the classical stalls which they replaced are now in the extensive chapter house to the west of Ferns cathedral ). A new episcopal 'cathedra' was provide and the flat plaster ceiling of the church replaced with one of boarded wood in a gothic revival style. St. Edan's Cathedral, Ferns. Diocese of Cashel and Ossory. Retrieved on 12 September 2009.
- ^ Local Notes (25 February 2009). "Yobs create havoc at Ferns Cathedral". Gorey Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
See also
