Cathedral of the Assumption, Thurles

The Assumption Cathedral of Thurles (English Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Irish Ardeaglais Deastógála na Maighdine Beannaithe ) is the bishop's church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, which is based in Thurles. Plans for the cathedral began in 1862 under Archbishop Patrick Leahy; in the period 1865-1879 the Cathedral under the direction of the Dublin architect James Joseph McCarthy was built in the Romanesque- Lombard style.

History

The Archdiocese of Cashel, which was established in 1111, originally had its cathedral on the Rock of Cashel, which, however, fell after the Reformation in the Anglican Church. The strict against the Roman Catholic Church tacking legislation could they exist for a long time only in the underground or in exile, and the majority of bishoprics remained vacant for a long time. In 1703 there were a total of only three Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland, and only then was only very slowly re- establishment of a Roman Catholic diocesan administration. The first consecrated Bishop of Cashel after this time was Christopher Butler in 1712, the bishop as two other members of the Butler family to follow. The Butler family was one of the great landowning families in Ireland, where the head of a family was Protestant, and thus was able to keep the land, the rest of the family remained Catholic. With the Butlers closely connected by marriage was the family of Matthews, who secured their lands in the same way. Both families supported the Roman Catholic Church in the underground. The Carmelite Monastery, founded by the Butler family in the 13th century fell after the Reformation in 1557 to the Butler family, which allowed the Carmelites the whereabouts or the return to Thurles. Immediately next to the monastery erected the Matthew family in 1730 a larger but still thatched chapel, which was later referred to as the Old Chapel or as Mathew Chapel. While Christopher Butler could not return to Ireland, his successor James Butler came I in the 18th century by Thurles and took a residence next to the chapel.

End of the 18th century, the legislation Catholics allowed more freedom, and the Archbishop Thomas Bray was able to build a new church, which was consecrated in 1809. It was built next to the Mathew Chapel in neo -classical style on the basis of the former monastery, the tower was built. She was named Big Chapel, where at that time all the Catholic churches in Ireland were called regardless of their size as a Chapel. The Archbishop used in Thurles since 1857 Patrick Leahy felt the Big Chapel in size for the Archdiocese not appropriate and announced in 1862 to address the construction of a new cathedral. As an architect, he chose at that time James Joseph McCarthy, whom he knew well, because both were associated with the project of the Catholic University of Ireland. Leahy was previously the vice president and McCarthy one of the professors and the place designated architect for the building, which was subsequently never materialized. Furthermore, McCarthy was already established as an architect Irish Cathedrals. At the time of contract award McCarthy was well known as an architect of the Cathedral in Armagh, and shortly before construction began on the cathedral in Monaghan. Although these cathedrals were built in Gothic Revival style preferred by McCarthy, he could not convince the preferred the Italian touch classicism in this regard Leahy. But McCarthy was able to prevail with his preference of medieval architectural styles at least: He chose as a model the Cathedral of Pisa Romanesque- Lombard style, adding elements from the Irish Romanesque.

When Patrick Leahy participated in the First Vatican Council, he discovered from the Gesù screened as part of the redesign of the presbytery tabernacle, which was still designed by Giacomo della Porta,, bought him and let him ship to Ireland. In Ireland, some alterations were made to its instruction,. For example, the tuff previously used on the rear was replaced by Irish, greenish colored Connemara marble. The import sparked a larger controversy in 1871, as the Irish Builder assumed that it was an award to a foreign contract work, and found it to be outrageous to ignore the local artisans such.

The happy collaboration between McCarthy and Leahy ended after the death of Leahy's, as the successor of Thomas William Croke with George Ashlin McCarthy undertook major competitors as architects for the completion of the construction. At this time, however, the work was already well under way, so for Ashlin just a few areas of interior design and interior decoration remained.

As part of the reforms following the Second Vatican Council there were in 1979 some indoors some changes, but compared to other cathedrals in Ireland turned out very restrained. So the altar was moved forward and placed the Tabernacle on a suitably designed new table. An ambo was added, but the old pulpit was not removed because of that. The Victorian floral pattern on the ceiling was replaced in 1973 by a more restrained decoration and brighter, so that the interior is less dark.

Architecture and Facilities

The cathedral is aligned north -south direction with the choir in the north and the great facade in Lombard- Romanesque style in the south. On the left of the south facade on the southwest corner, there is a 38 m high Campanile with a donated by Archbishop Croke clock closes in on the right side there is a likewise system modeled on Pisa Baptistery. In the Critique of contrast between the facade, which is characterized by very uniform repetitive elements, and the adjacent elements, which are very varied in the level or the round shape wins. The facade design is based not only on the Cathedral of Pisa, but also in the exterior design of Cormac 's Chapel of the original bishopric of Cashel. The three levels of arcades use in the two lower levels pillars with red Cork marble and in the top level, which is interrupted by the rose window, green Connemara marble.

Inside the cathedral has the form of a basilica with one nave on the eastern and western sides, separated with columns of red Cork marble and capitals of Pierre de Caen. The design of the rose window in the south gable was made by Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich. The barely used pulpit is positioned under the first arch of the eastern transept. In both aisles are equipped with designed by Giovanni Maria Benzoni statues side altars, which stylistically mirror the main altar. In the large tripartite windows on the west and east side of the transept are costly glass paintings by Irish artist William Earley.

The nave ending in an apse, which is surrounded by a nine -element Infirmary, which was equipped with 21 stained glass by William Wailes of Newcastle upon Tyne, representing, inter alia, all the apostles. On the north side of the outpatient clinic at the Croke Chapel joins.