Lismore Cathedral, Ireland

The Santa Mochutu Cathedral (English: St. Carthage 's Cathedral) in the city of Lismore is the Episcopal Church for the Diocese of Lismore Church of Ireland. She is (English: Carthage ) Mochutu dedicated the 636 at this point founded a monastery, which developed a bishopric before the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111. Since the Reformation, the cathedral is no longer belongs to the Catholic Church. Individual parts of the church date from the 13th century; extensive alterations took place in the 17th and 19th centuries.

Geographical location

Mochutu chose a high altitude place in the valley of the River Blackwater, which is still navigable in this section and on the natural harbor of Youghal provides access to the lake. The location was at the time of the founding Although quite remote, but offered good access to drinking water and opened the possibility of fishing.

History

Mochutu had previously founded the monastery of Rahan (now County Offaly ) and was there for over 40 years been abbot of a community of up to about 800 monks. The surrounding monasteries, which included in particular Clonmacnoise, Durrow, Linally and Clonard, were little happy about it and asked the ruling Uí Néill about moving Mochutu to return to his home in Munster. Mochutu was sold then, and despite his advanced age, he moved with some of his monks to the Blackwater, where he still in the same year founded a new monastery. Three years later he died. His feast day is December 3.

The monastery ran a school that gained national importance, so Lismore one of the most important religious centers of Ireland was. Lismore was a member, together with the monastery Dairinis active in the 8th and 9th century reform movement Celi Dé, which rejected the increasing secularization of the churches and monasteries, stayed on a strict asceticism and especially zuwendete also the poor and sick.

From before the Synod of Rathbreasail in the year 1111 only three bishops have been handed Ronan († 763 ), Cormac mac Finnbar († 920) and Cinaed O Con Minn. († 958 ). The Synod then the bishop's seat was confirmed and extended to Waterford, where the seats should alternate. This is apparently to the influence of the Bishop of Waterford, Mael Iosa Ua hAinmire, due which has been consecrated by Anselm of Canterbury in 1096 and initiated by Domnall Ua Maol Muire Ua of henna and Dunain continued reform movement belonged. Here there was a trend toward secularization of episcopal sees prevailed.

1151 was Cardinal Giovanni Paparoni as an apostolic legate to Ireland together with Christian O Conairche, which has previously been the first abbot of the Cistercian monastery at Mellifont. Christian O Conairche had previously been ordained at Clairvaux bishop of Lismore and took over to 1179 the office of apostolic legate, after Paparoni 1152 again returned to Rome. He played an important role after the invasion of the English from 1169 and negotiated among others in 1171 with the English King Henry II in Lismore.

After Christian O Conairche 1179 withdrew into retirement, Lismore lost its importance, and the Bishop of Waterford tried to annex Lismore final. Even though the Pope Innocent III. repeatedly supported Lismore to Waterford, the Lismorer Bishop Malachy was captured by the Waterford Bishop Robert II and in chains. Only in 1363 was the formal union of the two dioceses, while retaining the two cathedrals and two chapters.

After the Reformation, the merger of the two dioceses was also taken over by the Church of Ireland, the two churches in Lismore and Waterford retained their status as a cathedral. The Roman Catholic Church has only built after the loss of their Cathedral in 1881 a parish church, which is also dedicated to Mochutu.

Architecture

The bishop Miler Magrath leased the bishopric to Sir Walter Raleigth 1589, who sold the property to Richard Boyle. Built in the 13th century cathedral was largely destroyed in 1600 by Edmund Fitzgibbon. From this time few original features have been preserved, such as the pillar and the arch of the south transept.

Boyle attempted a restoration of the church by letting roof the choir again. However, he did nothing to save the nave or transepts. Only took place in the years 1679-1687 under the supervision of the architect Sir William Robinson restoration work where the nave and the transepts were covered, over the crossing tower was built and a chapter house was come. Because of the subsequent amendments only the chapter house and the roofs of the transepts have been preserved from this work.

Starting with 1811, Sir Richard Morrison were the south and east walls rebuilt after it previously bowed down as far as the outside world that they had to be supported at the suggestion of the architect. 1827 was the construction of the new church tower on the west side in the Gothic Revival style and to match the rest of the shares still held in the classical style church in mind was the creation of a neo-Gothic vault above the nave.