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St. Canice's Cathedral

St Canice's Cathedral
Kilkenny St Canice Cathedral SW 2007 08 28.jpg
52°39′24.40″N 07°15′25.72″W / 52.6567778°N 7.2571444°W / 52.6567778; -7.2571444Coordinates: 52°39′24.40″N 07°15′25.72″W / 52.6567778°N 7.2571444°W / 52.6567778; -7.2571444
Location County Kilkenny
Country Ireland
Denomination Church of Ireland
Website www.stcanicescathedral.com
History
Dedication St. Canice
Architecture
Style Gothic
Administration
Diocese Diocese of Cashel and Ossory
Province Province of Dublin
Clergy
Bishop(s) The Right Reverend Michael Burrows
Dean The Very Reverend Katherine Poulton
Precentor The Reverend M.A. McCullagh
Curate(s) The Reverend David Compton
Archdeacon The Venerable J.G. Murray
Laity
Organist/Director of music Mr Malcolm Proud, B.Mus., L.R.A.M.
Organist(s) Mr D. Forde

St Canice's Cathedral, also known as Kilkenny Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin.

Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Ossory, it is now one of six cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory.

The present building dates from the 13th century and is the second longest cathedral in Ireland, after St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. Beside the cathedral stands a 100 ft 9th-century round tower. St Canice's tower is an example of a well-preserved 9th-century "Celtic Christian" round tower. It is dedicated to St Canice. It is one of only three such medieval round towers in Ireland that can still be climbed to the top, the other two being Kildare Round Tower in Kildare Town and Devenish Round Tower in County Fermanagh.

The cathedral stands on an ancient site which has been used for Christian worship since the 6th century. In the 1120s the See of Ossory was moved from Aghaboe to Kilkenny.

Following the English Reformation, the reformed church in Ireland was established by decree of the Irish Parliament to become the state church in the Kingdom of Ireland as the Church of Ireland, taking possession of most church property (and so retaining a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population, however, remained faithful to Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Since St Canice's Cathedral was taken over in this way, Roman Catholic adherents were consequently obliged to worship elsewhere. St Mary's Cathedral in Kilkenny was later built for the Roman Catholic diocese.


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