St Columb's Cathedral Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Columb's Cathedral, Derry
Cathedral Church of St Columb, Derry City
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Location	Derry
Country	Northern Ireland
Denomination	Church of Ireland
Churchmanship	Broad Church
Website	stcolumbscathedral.org
History
Dedication	St Columba
Administration
Diocese	Derry and Raphoe
Province	Armagh

St Columb's Cathedral, August 2009

St Columb's Cathedral is a very important church in the walled city of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the main church for the Church of Ireland in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. It also serves as the local parish church for Templemore.

The cathedral is named after Saint Columba, an Irish monk. He started a Christian community in this area a long time ago. Later, he left Ireland and helped bring Christianity to Scotland and northern England. St Columb's Cathedral was built after a big change in religion called the Reformation. It was the first Anglican cathedral built in Britain and Ireland after this time. It was also the first major church of its kind in Western Europe that was not Roman Catholic.

History of St Columb's Cathedral
Cathedral Services
Organists of the Cathedral
Burials
Images for kids
See also

History of St Columb's Cathedral

The first main church for the area was called Templemore, which means "the Big Church" in Irish. Sadly, this church was destroyed during a war called the Nine Years' War. It was first damaged in 1568 when gunpowder stored inside accidentally exploded.

Later, in 1600, a leader named Sir Henry Docwra arrived in Derry with many soldiers. He took down the ruined Big Church. Its stones were then used to build the strong walls and defenses of the city.

Original Church Stone

Today, a small stone tablet from the original "Big Church" is placed in the porch of the current cathedral. It has a Latin message that means: "The True God is in His Temple and is to be truly worshipped." The cathedral you see today is built very close to where the old church once stood.

Building the Current Cathedral

The current St Columb's Cathedral was built by William Parratt from London. It was officially opened in 1633. The building style is known as "Gothic survival" or "Planter's Gothic." This means it looks like older Gothic churches but was built much later.

In 1633, plans were made to add a longer section called a chancel to the east end. However, this part was not built at that time. In the porch, there is an inscription that says:

If stones could speake
then London's prayse
should sound who
built this church and
cittie from the grounde.

Changes Over Time

After it was built, the church stayed mostly the same for many years. In 1776, the bishop, Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol, made the building taller. He added 21 feet to the tower and put a very tall spire on top.

This spire only lasted about 20 years because it started to look like it might fall down. It was taken apart to be rebuilt. The tower was finished in 1802, and a new spire was added about 20 years after that.

In 1825, the original entrance porch on the south side was removed. In 1827, the small towers on either side of the east end were changed. Their old jagged tops were replaced with domes.

Inside the Cathedral

Between 1861 and 1862, the entire inside of the cathedral was updated. New wooden features made of oak were added. The galleries that used to be in the side sections were taken out. Other decorations and furniture were also replaced.

In 1887, work began on a new chancel. The old foundations from the 17th century were found, and the new chancel was built on top of them. This finally completed the church's original design.

The chapter house, a building used for meetings, was added in 1910.

Historical Treasures

St Columb's Cathedral holds many important documents from the Siege of Derry. This was a famous event in the city's history. The cathedral also has portraits of William of Orange and the original keys to the city.

There is also a memorial inside the cathedral for Valentine Munbee McMaster VC, a brave soldier.

Cathedral Services

St Columb's Cathedral holds several services each week. On Sundays, there are three services:

8:00 am: A Eucharist service.
11:00 am: A Sung Eucharist (on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month) or Matins (on other Sundays).
4:00 pm: Choral Evensong.
On the 4th Sunday of the month, there is a 10:00 am Family Service.

During the week, Morning Prayer is held on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10:30 am. On Tuesdays, Holy Communion is celebrated, with special prayers for those who are sick.

The Reverend William Morton was the Dean of the cathedral for 19 years. He retired in September 2016 and became the Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. After his retirement, the Reverend Canon Raymond Stewart was appointed as the new Dean of St Columb's Cathedral and rector of the Parish of Templemore. He officially started his role in March 2017.