St Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny

This article is about the Catholic cathedral in Kilkenny. For the Church of Ireland cathedral, see St Canice's Cathedral.

St Mary's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory. It is situated on James's Street, Kilkenny, Ireland.

St Mary’s Cathedral
Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
52°39′09″N 07°15′25″W
Location	County Kilkenny
Country	Republic of Ireland
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founded	February 1842
Consecrated	4 October 1857
Relics held	St Victoria Saint Clement Saints Cosmas and Damian[1]
Architecture
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	April 1843
Completed	1857
Construction cost	£25,000
Administration
Province	Dublin
Diocese	Diocese of Ossory

Saint Mary's was designed by William Deane Butler (c.1794-1857). He was chosen by Bishop William Kinsella (1793-1845) who instigated the building of St. Mary's in February 1842. Work began in April 1843 and finished in 1857. On Sunday 4 October 1857, St. Mary's had its grand opening, which consisted of a two-and-three-quarter hour ceremony that began at 6.15am. The cost of the building is estimated to have been £25,000.

St. Mary's is made from cut-limestone which was sourced locally. The cathedral has a cruciform plan and its style is described as ‘Early English Gothic’.^[2] The design is believed to have been based on Gloucester Cathedral in Gloucester, England. It is situated on the highest point in Kilkenny City and is a significant local landmark.

Its bell in the steeple was made by John Murphy, a Dublin foundry.^[3]

St. Mary's has a noted sculpture of the Madonna by Giovanni Maria Benzoni (1809-1873).

Gallery

• 
  Rear nave
• 
  Nave facing the sanctuary
• 
  Apse
• 
  Vault in the apse
• 
  Main façade
• 
  Tower, transept (left) and apse (right)
• 
  Kilkenny panorama with St Mary's Cathedral at background

References

1. "Strolling through the mediaeval capital of Ireland".
2. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
3. "The crowning glory of St Mary's Cathedral". 13 August 2021.

External links

• Parish website
• St. Mary's cathedral on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage website
• A good history of St Mary's here
• A biography of William Deane Butler
• A List of architects and designers that worked on St Mary's Cathedral.