About St Canice's Cathedral

The monastery of Aghavoe was founded by St. Canice, of which he was the first abbot, and in which he died about the year 600. Felix O'Dullany laid the foundation of the cathedral church of St. Canice, which was continued at a great expense by Hugh Mapelton, and completed by Geoffrey St. Leger, about the year 1270. Richard Ledred, who was consecrated in 1318, beautified the cathedral and rebuilt and glazed all the windows. Many other repairs and beautifications took place since the early years of the Cathedral.

"The cathedral church, dedicated to St. Canice, and situated on a gentle eminence at the western extremity of the city, is a spacious and venerable cruciform structure, in the early English style of architecture, with a low massy central tower supported on clustered columns of black marble, and lofty pointed arches, affording entrances from the nave into the choir and transepts. The exterior walls, with the exception only of the gables, are embattled, and at the west end the pinnacles form two small spires."^[1]

The cathedral is the second longest cathedral in Ireland, after St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.^[2]

In various parts of the cathedral are several ancient monuments, of which the most remarkable is that of Bishop David, near the consistorial court, now much defaced; eight of the bishops of Ossory and several of the noble proprietors of the castle are interred here; and in the transept is a stone seat, called the Chair of St. Kieran.

The Cathedral Of Saint Canice is a Church of Ireland cathedral, acquired by the Church of Ireland after that denominated was made the state church by decree of parliament.^[2]

Location

Saint Canice’s Cathedral^[3]

The Close,

Coach Road,

Kilkenny City,

R95 V63H,

Ireland

Links

• Find-a-Grave page for Saint Canice's Cemetery

Sources

1. ↑ forebears.io Kilkenny Genealogical Records
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Wikipedia (Accessed 16 May 2022)
3. ↑ Staint Canice's Cathedral web site.