Church of St Nicholas Without, Dublin facts for kids

St. Nicholas Without was an old church in Dublin, Ireland. It was part of the Church of Ireland, which is a Christian church. For many hundreds of years, this church was actually inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. A wall separated it from the rest of the big cathedral.

What Was St. Nicholas Without?

How the Church Got Its Name

The church got its name when Alexander de Bicknor was the Archbishop, between 1317 and 1349. At that time, the area (or "parish") of St. Nicholas grew bigger. It went outside the city walls of Dublin. This new, larger area included places like the Manor of St. Sepulchre.

Because the parish was now in two parts, it was split. One part was called St. Nicholas Within the Walls. The other part, which was outside the city, was called St. Nicholas Without. Records from 1509 and 1662 show that the church itself was still the north part of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Who Was Saint Nicholas?

The church was named after Saint Nicholas of Myra. He is famous as the patron saint of sailors. Many people also know him as the inspiration for Santa Claus!

Changes to the Church Building

In the 1700s, the north part of the cathedral, where St. Nicholas Without was, started to fall apart. So, the people of St. Nicholas Without rented another part of the cathedral. This was the Lady Chapel, which was also called the French Church. It had been used by French Protestants called Huguenots.

The north part of the cathedral was fixed up in 1822. It was used as St. Nicholas Without until 1861. Then, the parish of St. Nicholas Without joined with St. Luke. Soon after, St. Patrick's Cathedral was renovated, and the north part was rebuilt again. The church was always under the control of the leaders of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The Parish of St. Nicholas Without

Early History of the Parish

The area, or parish, of St. Nicholas was first mentioned in a very old document. This was a paper from Pope Celestine in 1191. It listed special church areas called "prebends."

Documents from the 1300s (1326 and 1382) describe how big the parish was. It included both sides of Patrick Street, except for a small area called Patrick's Close. It also covered New Street and most of Kevin Street. Most of the people living there had English names. Only one person, named Begg on New Street, was described as "hibernicus," which means Irish.

In 1479, King Edward IV allowed some merchants from Dublin to set up a special fund. This fund was for a "chantry" in St. Nicholas. A chantry was a place where priests would pray for the souls of specific people.

Joining with St. Luke's Parish

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

The Cemetery

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