Holy Trinity Church, Cork facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holy Trinity Church |
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| Father Mathew Memorial Church | |
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 Holy Trinity Church
Location in Cork Central
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| 51°53′44″N 8°28′15″W / 51.895553°N 8.4708917°W | |
| Location | Cork |
| Country | Republic of Ireland |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Religious order | Capuchin |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Dedication | Theobald Mathew |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | George Pain, Dominic Coakley, George Ashlin |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1832–1890 |
| Groundbreaking | 10 October 1832 |
| Completed | 13 October 1890 |
| Specifications | |
| Spire height | 160 feet (49 m) |
| Materials | Limestone |
| Administration | |
| Parish | SS Peter & Paul's |
| Archdiocese | Cashel and Emly |
| Diocese | Cork and Ross |
Holy Trinity Church, also called the Father Mathew Memorial Church, is a beautiful Catholic church in Cork, Ireland. It sits right by the River Lee. This church is built in the Gothic Revival style, which means it looks like old medieval churches. It belongs to the Capuchin friars. It is also the only church named after Father Theobald Mathew.
The church is special because it was one of the first large churches in the south of Ireland built in this style. Building started in the 1830s but stopped for a while. It was finally finished in 1890, just in time for Father Mathew's 100th birthday. Inside, you can see amazing stained glass windows. Some were made by Harry Clarke's studio. There is also a big window honoring Daniel O'Connell.
Contents
History of the Capuchin Order in Cork
The Capuchin friars first came to Cork in 1637. This was 13 years after their first community started in Dublin. Their first friary (a place where friars live) in Cork was destroyed. Later, Father Bartholomew Mortell opened a hospice, which is like a guesthouse.
Most Catholics, including the Capuchins, were forced to leave Cork in 1644. But the friary opened again five years later, in 1649. This friary was probably in the same spot as a later one on Blackamoor Lane. In 1771, Father Arthur O'Leary built a new friary there. He said it was very small and not very pretty.
Father Mathew's Vision for a New Church
Father Theobald Mathew arrived in Cork in 1814. He was a Capuchin friar and a social reformer. He worked hard to help the poor people of the city. Father Mathew wanted to replace the small, old friary with a grand new church.
In 1825, a competition was held to choose a design for the new church. The winning plan came from George Richard Pain, a famous architect. He also designed Blackrock Castle and the courthouse on Washington Street in Cork. Pain won £50 for his design.
Building the Holy Trinity Church
The city offered a site for the church on Sullivan's Quay. But Father Mathew chose a different spot on Charlotte Quay, which is now called Fr. Mathew Quay. This land was marshy, so it needed a strong foundation. Preparing the site cost almost £1,600.
The church was expected to cost £10,000 to build. The people of Cork raised half of this money. At the same time, two other churches were being built in Cork. This meant there was a lot of competition for money. Also, the city was dealing with a health crisis. Father Mathew himself gave another £4,500 for the church.
Laying the Foundation Stone
The first stone of the church was laid on October 10, 1832. This was Father Mathew's birthday. There were some disagreements about costs, and Father Mathew paid Pain an extra £300. Pain died in 1838, and Thomas Coakley took over the building work.
By 1840, the cost of the church had grown to £14,000. The builder could not afford to finish the work, so construction stopped in 1841. Many people suggested using money from Father Mathew's temperance movement to finish the church. But he refused.
Completing the Church After the Famine
After the Great Famine, people in Cork decided to continue building Holy Trinity. Thomas Deane, who had lost the original design competition, was chosen to finish the church. William Atkins was in charge of the inside of the church.
The church finally opened on October 10, 1850. A special Mass was held, and people needed tickets to attend. However, the inside of the church was not fully finished until about 1866. The front entrance (portico) was also still unfinished. The sculptor John Hogan carved two heads next to the main door.
Finishing Touches and Reopening
Over the next 20 years, many ideas were suggested to finish the front of Holy Trinity. In 1877, a plan by George Ashlin was approved, but it was not built. Later, Father Paul Neary, a Capuchin leader, organized celebrations for Father Mathew's 100th birthday. He also arranged a meeting to get the church finished. They decided to complete the church using Pain's original design. A campaign was started to raise the money needed.
Another competition was held for the church's front. The prize was £50. The design had to be made of limestone, like the rest of the church, and cost no more than £6,000. Dominic J. Coakley's design was chosen because it was very similar to Pain's original plan. The limestone came from the same quarry that was used for the earlier parts of the church.
The construction work was done by John Sisk from Cork. There was some worry that the church would not be ready for Father Mathew's centenary. But it was finished in time! The church reopened on October 13, 1890, with another special Mass.
Inside the Holy Trinity Church
The large window behind the main altar is dedicated to Daniel O'Connell. It was put in place in 1850. Two other stained glass windows, probably by the same artist, show the Virgin Mary and the coat of arms of Pope Leo XIII.
A beautiful stained glass window on the east wall was made by Joshua Clarke, based on a design by his son Harry Clarke. This window honors Thomas Dowling, a Capuchin friar who helped solve a worker dispute during World War I. It shows Christ as the Prince of Peace and Saint Francis holding a dove. You can even see Cork's skyline at the bottom of the window. Two more windows were made by Harry Clarke and his brother, Walter. These show the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Conception. They were installed between 1918 and 1929.
Changes to the Interior
The inside of the church was changed quite a bit in the early 1900s. A special memorial chapel was added in 1908. It cost £3,500 and was designed by Ashlin. This chapel honored Father Bernard Jennings, a Capuchin social worker.
In the 1980s, major renovations were done. The church had structural problems and dry rot. Some even suggested tearing it down and rebuilding it! But for £500,000, the church was completely renovated in 1982. This included replacing the old columns and removing the original pulpit and altars. In 2013, the entrance area was made larger.
The Capuchin Friary
A Capuchin friary stood on Blackamoor Lane from the mid-1700s until the 1850s. The friars then moved to George's Quay. Later, they moved across the river to a spot near the new church.
A plan for a friary that would wrap around the church was proposed in 1866. But it was never fully built. The current friary, right next to the church, was finished in 1884 (some say 1888). It was designed by Robert Walker in the Venetian Gothic style. This three-story building is made of limestone and red brick. It was built very quickly and was called "the most perfect monastery in Ireland." A statue of Saint Francis was placed over the entrance in 1934.
Church Design and Architecture
Holy Trinity Church was designed in a simple English Gothic Revival style. The architect, Pain, liked this style. He used many arched windows, flying buttresses, and columns. The church was described as "exceedingly graceful." Pain's plan would have made the church 182 feet (55 m) tall. But the finished building is 160 feet (49 m) tall. Iron was used a lot inside the church to make it feel spacious. This was probably because the marshy ground could not support heavy stone columns.
Community and Social Impact
In 1907, the Capuchin community in Cork got a building on Queen Street. This building, now called Father Mathew Hall, was used for plays and pantomimes from 1911 to the 1960s. It still hosts the annual Feis Maitiú, a festival started by Father Micheál O'Shea in 1927.
Around 1960, a fence was added to the front of the church. From 1968, the Capuchin friars ran a "Clothing Guild." They gave clothes and other items to the poor in Cork. At its busiest, they gave out up to 5,000 sacks of clothing each year. The Capuchins have also organized youth groups and prayer groups.
In 2013, the church hosted special relics of the Franciscan saint Anthony of Padua. In 2015, the Capuchin Order celebrated 400 years since they first came to Ireland. A book about Holy Trinity's history, called An Ornament to the City, was published then.
Images for kids
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Holy Trinity Church in Cork
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The nave of Holy Trinity
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad (Cork) para niños
