St Eunan’s Cathedral: A Church of Ireland Cathedral in Raphoe
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.7
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Ireland
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- British, Irish
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Cathedral
On this page8 sections
History
St Eunan’s Cathedral is a Church of Ireland cathedral in Raphoe, Ireland, dedicated to Saint Eunan, or Adomnán of Iona. The present building developed through successive rebuilding from the seventeenth to the late nineteenth centuries, on the site of a church traditionally associated with the seventh-century founder of Raphoe’s monastery.
Early Christian and Medieval Origins
Saint Eunan was a seventh-century Irish churchman who became abbot of Iona from 679 to 704. Two sculptured door-lintel fragments from around the ninth century are believed to have come from the original monastery and church traditionally founded by him at Raphoe. The oldest substantial surviving part of the present cathedral is its south-east corner, which dates from the twelfth century.
Rebuilding and Diocesan Change
The original cathedral had a cruciform plan. Rebuilding of the medieval cathedral began around 1605 under George Montgomery, who had served as chaplain to King James I and was nominated bishop of Raphoe, Clogher, and Derry at the same time. Much of the present building dates from the 1730s. The united dioceses of Derry and Raphoe were formed in 1834, and St Eunan’s became one of their two cathedral churches, alongside St Columb’s Cathedral in Derry.
Restoration in the Nineteenth Century
By the 1870s the cathedral had again become neglected. Sir Thomas Drew prepared a restoration plan in 1892, and work began in 1893 with funding from the Knox family. The restoration exposed much of the medieval fabric and partially rebuilt other parts in a medievalizing manner. It also reshaped the building’s earlier arrangement, drawing much of the transepts into the main line of the church. The cathedral contains the burial of Alexander Cairncross, Bishop of Raphoe, and of Alexander Montgomery (1720–1800), who represented County Donegal in Parliament for 32 years.
Remains
Cathedral Building
The cathedral is a long, narrow building that developed from a cruciform plan. Its west entrance lies beneath a tall square tower and porch, built in 1738 by Bishop Forster, who was bishop from 1716 to 1744. The quire, or chancel reserved for clergy and choir, extends farther than the nave. The nineteenth-century restoration added numerous stained-glass windows and a decorative western doorway.
Medieval Features
Elements associated with the medieval church remain within the later building. They include a bishop’s seat called a sedilla, shamrock-topped columns, a piscina used for washing sacred vessels, and an early vestry window. The two sculptured door-lintel pieces from around the ninth century provide a physical link with the earlier monastery and church traditionally associated with Saint Eunan.
Buildings Near the Cathedral
Near the cathedral stand remains of a consistorial court building and a large bishop’s palace. Together with the cathedral fabric, these structures form part of the ecclesiastical setting developed around Raphoe’s long-established church.
