St Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny Facts for Kids

This page is about the Catholic cathedral in Kilkenny. For the Church of Ireland cathedral, see St Canice's Cathedral.

Quick facts for kids St Mary’s Cathedral
Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

52°39′09″N 07°15′25″W / 52.65250°N 7.25694°W / 52.65250; -7.25694
Location	County Kilkenny
Country	Republic of Ireland
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founded	February 1842
Consecrated	4 October 1857
Relics held	St Victoria Saint Clement Saints Cosmas and Damian
Architecture
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	April 1843
Completed	1857
Construction cost	£25,000
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Ossory
Province	Dublin

St Mary's Cathedral is a very important cathedral church. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory. You can find it on James's Street in Kilkenny, Ireland.

Building St Mary's Cathedral
Design and Materials
Special Features
Images for kids
See also

Building St Mary's Cathedral

The design for St Mary's was created by William Deane Butler. Bishop William Kinsella decided to build this cathedral. Work on the building started in April 1843. It took many years to finish, finally opening in 1857.

The grand opening happened on Sunday, October 4, 1857. The ceremony was very long, lasting almost three hours. Building the cathedral cost about £25,000. This was a lot of money back then!

Design and Materials

St Mary's Cathedral is built from local cut-limestone. This stone gives it a strong and beautiful look. The church has a cruciform shape, like a cross. This is a common design for cathedrals.

The style of the building is called 'Early English Gothic'. It is thought to be based on Gloucester Cathedral in Gloucester, England. St Mary's stands on the highest point in Kilkenny City. This makes it a very noticeable landmark.

The large bell in the steeple was made by John Murphy. He had a foundry in Dublin.