St. Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny

For the Church of Ireland cathedral, see St. Canice's Cathedral.

St Mary’s Cathedral
Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Location	County Kilkenny
Country	Republic of Ireland
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Ossory

St. Mary’s is the Roman Catholic cathedral for the Diocese of Ossory. It is situated on James’s Street, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland.

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’. 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.

The cathedral is variously referred to as "St Mary’s", "the church of St Kieran" and "the Cathedral of the Assumption".

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

• Kilkenny St Mary Cathedral Apse Vault.jpg

  Vault in the apse

• Kilkenny St Mary Cathedral Nave 2007 08 29.jpg

  Rear nave

• St Mary's Cathedral (13414140743).jpg

  Nave facing the Sanctuary

External links

• St. Mary’s 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.

• Kilkenny St Mary's Cathedral1.jpg

  Main façade

• Kilkenny 3, Ireland.jpg

  Tower, trancept(left) and apse (right

• Kilkenny St Mary Cathedral.JPG

  The nave

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  Kilkenny Panorama with St Mary's Cathedral at Background