Religious Buildings

St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral

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One of Cork’s most distinctive landmarks, St Fin Barre’s Cathedral is located in one of the oldest areas of the city. It is the diocesan cathedral of the Church of Ireland and the Bishop’s residence is directly opposite the cathedral gate.

St. Fin Barre’s was designed by the notable English architect, William Burges, who also designed the stained glass, the sculptures, the mosaics, the furniture and metal work for the interior.  The foundation stone was laid in 1865 and the building was consecrated in 1870.

The Cathedral is stylistically late 13th century pointed Gothic and is cruciform in shape. It has triple spires with portals to the west front and an abundance of external stone carved detail. Cork limestones and marbles were used throughout the building.

Interesting architectural features include the high columns of the nave are of Bath stone, while the walls are lined internally with Cork Red Marble. Scenes from the Old Testament are depicted in the stained glass. Inside the cathedral the pulpit rests on marble pillars and has the four evangelists and St. Paul carved around it. The organ, dating from 1889, is placed in the north transept. The baptismal font has an octagonal base and is made of red marble with green and white supports.

The Cathedral is of major significance as one of the key buildings both of the highly regarded architect William Burges and of nineteenth century architecture in Ireland. 

Website: www.cathedral.cork.anglican.org

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