Central Nave, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland
by Rebecca Carr
Title
Central Nave, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland
Artist
Rebecca Carr
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Shown is the central nave of the sprawling Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. Visiting the church is like stepping back in time. Built on the current site in 1030 by the Norse King Sitriuc along with the Bishop of Dublin, Dúnán, the original Cathedral was built in Norse architectural style. One doesn't necessarily associate the Vikings with Christianity, but they were a very religious people.
By 1152 Christ Church Cathedral (also known as The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity) was incorporated into the Irish church and within a decade the famous archbishop Laurence O’Toole had been appointed. Laurence O’Toole acted directly in diplomatic efforts between the Dubliners and the Anglo-Normans including Strongbow (Richard de Clare) following the capture of the city in 1170. It was due largely to John Cumin, the first Anglo- Norman archbishop, that the Hiberno-Norse cathedral was replaced with the Romanesque and later Gothic cathedral, parts of which survive today.
In 1562, the nave roof vaulting collapsed and Strongbow’s tomb was smashed, the current tomb being a contemporary replacement from Drogheda. The cathedral was in ruins and emergency rebuilding took place immediately. This temporary solution lasted until the 1870s! Since the collapse of the roof, the north nave wall has leaned out by 46cm / 18 inches.
In 1689 King James attended Mass here. on 6 July 1690, King William III gave thanks for his victory over King James II and presented a set of gold communion plate to the cathedral. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Christ Church’s crypt was used as a market, a meeting place for business, and at one stage even a pub as a letter of 1633 shows: the vaults from one end of the minster to the other are made into tippling houses for beer, wine and tobacco.
The cathedral as it exists today is heavily Victorianised due to the extensive restorations and renovations carried out by the architect George Edmund Street (between 1871 and 1878) at the expense of a Dublin whiskey distiller, Henry Roe.
A two-year restoration of the cathedral roof and stonework was undertaken in 1982. Kenneth Jones of Bray installed a new organ in 1984. Further work since 1997 has included the renewal of the heating and lighting systems and the restoration of the massive 12th century crypt. This last undertaking was to provide the cathedral with a much-need facility for hospitality and to mark the millennium year 2000. It now houses the important Treasures of Christ Church exhibition, together with the superb video of the cathedral history by Louis Marcus. The exhibition features manuscripts and artefacts that give the visitor some impression of nearly one thousand years of worship in the cathedral and nearby churches. Outstanding among the rare church silver is the stunning royal plate given by King William III in 1697 as a thanksgiving for his victory at the battle of the Boyne. Also on display are the conserved tabernacle and the candlesticks used in 1689 under James II when the Latin rites were restored for a three-month period. (www.christchurchcathedral.ie)
Uploaded
September 13th, 2019
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