The sanctuary floor was created by Italian craftsmen, using marble from the Pyrenees. The mosaics in front of the altar tell the story from St. Matthew that ‘the kingdom of Heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind’. [Photo1 Credit: igal27] [Photo2 Credit: Farsong Rethna] [Photo3 Credit: Management] INDEX
82. CATHEDRA TA TA
Near the front of the sanctuary area stands the cathedra, or bishop’s throne. The word ‘cathedra’ is Latin for seat, and it is from this that this Church gets the title of Cathedral. [Photos Credit: 1234texas]
83. APSE CEILING TA TA
The upper apse is wonderfully decorated. We look at the ceiling shorty, but it is interesting that the wooden supporting structure is designed to cover the image of God from those below. This relates to Exodus 33:18.20 ‘man shall not see me and live’. Below the ceiling are seven stained glass windows (in fact nine places), and below them a line of text: ‘Heaven and Earth are Full of His Glory’ – the words of the Sanctus in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. We look at the apse windows ... . [Photo1 Credit: AlbertSalichs] [Photo2 Credit: babykong]
84. APSE WINDOWS I Gl x3
There are nine windows around the apse itself – or at least nine places. The end two on either side were designed but never made and installed. In this sequence we include the four unfulfilled designs by William Burges. •• Joseph of Arimathea (1869); •• Stephaton (1869) [traditionally, Stephaton was the Roman soldier who offered Jesus vinegar to drink while Jesus was on the cross]; •• St Mary Magdalene at the Tomb (1884) •• ...
85. APSE WINDOWS II Gl x3
... •• Blessed Virgin Mary (1874); •• Our Lord as King Crucified (1874); •• St John the Evangelist (1877); •• ...
86. APSE WINDOWS III Gl x3
... •• Maria Salome (1890) [Maria Salome is supposed to be one of the daughters of St Ann, making her the sister or half sister of Mary, the Mother of Jesus]; •• Longinus the Centurion (1869) [Longinus is the name given to the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus while he was on the cross]; •• Nicodemus (1869).
87. DETAILS OF THE APSE CEILING TA
The exquisitely decorated timber ceiling shows an array of stars surrounded by a host of angels gathered around the throne of God. [Photo Credit: Amanda P]
88. ALTAR
We complete our tour of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral by leaving the Heavenlies and returning to the altar. For it is here that we remember the Lamb of God who gave his life for us, and it is here that his sacrifice on the Cross is remembered with the partaking of the Elements of the Eucharist. [Photo Credit: Phil Beard]
TA Anselmo A
CONCLUSION
I hope you have enjoyed visiting St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork with me. A very interesting Cathedral!
As mentioned earlier, I have never visited this Cathedral, so for this website I have relied on the photographs taken by others.
I am grateful to William Murphy who is the main contributing photographer for the exterior photos. His photos are indicated by [WM], and originals of most of these photos can be found under the following link:
https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=80824546%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&text=Saint+Fin+Barre%27s+Cathedral+%5BWell+Worth+a+Visit%5D&view_all=1
The excellent window photos, together with detailed information, come from Gloine [Gl], with link
https://www.gloine.ie/search/filter/windows?buildings=2989
Many photos come from Trip Advisor [TA], with the name of the photographer listed. I have been unable to confirm use for these photos, but hope that photographers will be happy for their photos being used to give enjoyment to viewers in their Cathedral visit. If there is any problem, please contact me at paulscott.info@me.com . The Trip Advisor link for this Cathedral is
Several Instagram [Inst] photos fall into this category too.
As well there are a number of photographs used under the Creative Common Licence, CCL, some from Google Maps Street View [GSV], some from Wikipedia Commons [W] and an occasional photo from the Cathedral itself [SFC].
There is an excellent video called ‘Heavenly Visions’ by Ann Wilson [AW]. The first part of this deals with St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, and gives some interesting insights, some of which are expressed in the present text. I have included some screen shots from here. The link is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3kZuMzmdVI
Other photographs are acknowledged within the text.
I take little credit for the text which comes from a variety of different sources.
I also express my thanks to my wife Margie who dutifully reads through all my websites and checks the typing.
I would be happy to receive any comments, criticisms or corrections to this site. The best websites are those which contain no errors!
St Fin Barre’s Cathedral has its own website with link:
Site created 11 / 2024
Paul Scott