Church of St Nicholas Without, Dublin facts for kids

St. Nicholas Without was a church in Dublin, Ireland. It was once a parish church for the Church of Ireland. For many years, a part of St. Patrick's Cathedral served as this church. This part was the north transept, which had a wall separating it from the rest of the cathedral.

What Was St. Nicholas Without?

The Church Building

The church got its name during the time of Alexander de Bicknor, who was a bishop from 1317 to 1349. The area it covered, called a parish, grew to include places outside the city walls. To tell the two parts apart, one was called St. Nicholas Within the Walls. The other, outside the walls, was called St. Nicholas Without.

Records from 1509 and 1662 show that the north transept of St. Patrick's Cathedral was still used as the parish church. The church was named after St. Nicholas of Myra, who is known as the patron saint of sailors.

Over time, the north transept of the cathedral became old and needed repairs in the 1700s. Because of this, the people of St. Nicholas Without rented another part of the cathedral. This was the Lady Chapel, which had been used by French Protestants called Huguenots.

The north transept was rebuilt in 1822. It was used until 1861, when the parish of St. Nicholas Without joined with St. Luke's. Soon after, St. Patrick's Cathedral was also renovated, and the north transept was rebuilt again. The church was under the control of the leaders of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The Parish Area

The area covered by the parish was first mentioned in a document from Pope Celestine in 1191. Later documents from the 1300s (1326 and 1382) described the parish. It included both sides of Patrick Street (except for a small area called Patrick's Close), New Street, and most of Kevin Street. Most of the people living there at the time had English names.

In 1708, a law was passed that divided the parish of St. Nicholas Without. Part of it became the parish of St. Luke. However, in 1861, these two parishes were joined together again.

The Cemetery

In 1666, a piece of land near Kevin Street was set aside for the parish. This land was used as a burial ground. It later became known as the Cabbage Garden burial ground.