Kilfane Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kilfane Church |
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| Cell-Phaain | |
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Cill Pháin
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 Kilfane Church
Location in Ireland
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| 52°33′15″N 7°07′06″W / 52.554167°N 7.118333°W | |
| Location | Kilfane Demesne, Kilfane, County Kilkenny |
| Country | Ireland |
| Denomination | Church of Ireland |
| Previous denomination | Pre-Reformation Catholic |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | Cantwell family |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | inactive |
| Heritage designation | |
| Official name | Kilfane Church |
| Reference no. | 300 |
| Style | Late Gothic |
| Years built | 13th century |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 22 m (72 ft) |
| Width | 7 m (23 ft) |
| Materials | stone |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Ossory |
Kilfane Church is an old church from the Middle Ages. It's also a special National Monument located in County Kilkenny, Ireland. This church is known for its history and a unique stone carving of a knight.
Contents
Where is Kilfane Church?
Kilfane Church is found in a place called Kilfane. It's about 3.4 kilometers (a little over 2 miles) north-northeast of Thomastown, County Kilkenny.
The History of Kilfane Church
The area around the church is thought to be named after a Saint Phian. The church itself was built a very long time ago, in the 13th century.
A powerful family called the Cantwells were the lords of Kilfane and nearby areas. They lived there from soon after the Normans arrived in Ireland until their lands were taken away after the Confederation wars.
In 2001, a poet named Deirdre Brennan wrote a poem about Kilfane Church.
What the Church Looks Like Inside
Kilfane Church is a long, rectangular building. Inside, you can see special features like sedilia (seats for priests), an altar, a book rest, and a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels). The sedilia are believed to be even older than the church itself and still have some medieval paint on them.
There are three original doorways in the north and south walls. These doorways have unique ogee stones at the top, which are shaped like an "S" curve.
At the east end of the church, there's a tower house with castle-like walls. This tower might have been where the priests lived or where church items were stored. People might have also lived on the upper floors.
After a new Church of Ireland building was built nearby, the old Kilfane Church was used as a schoolhouse for a while.
The Cantwell Fada Knight
The most famous feature of Kilfane Church is the Cantwell Fada. This is a stone carving of a knight from the 1320s or 1330s. "Fada" means "tall" in Irish, and the carving is quite large.
Originally, this carving was meant to lie flat as the cover for the knight's tomb. However, it now stands upright and is protected by a clear cover. When the church was used as a school, children who misbehaved were sometimes made to kiss the knight's carving!
Later, the carving was covered with soil to keep it safe. In 1840, a person named James Graves uncovered and cleaned it.
Four copies, or "casts," were made of the Cantwell Fada. One of these copies is on display at the National Museum in Dublin.
