Cathedral (in ruins) — Kilfenora

Situated in Kilfenora Village within a graveyard (CL016-015003-) in an area of gently undulating pasture with the land falling away to the N. Named 'Cathedral (in ruins) on site of Abbey' on 1916 OS 6-inch OS map. Kilfenora (Cell Fhinnabrach) is the cathedral church of a small diocese, granted diocesan status in 1152 at the synod of Kells, affiliated with the diocese of Limerick since 1976 having been previously affiliated to Killaloe (1752-1976), Clonfert (1742-52) and Limerick (1606-7) (O’Neill 2012-13, 199). An early church is said to have been founded here by St. Fachnan in the 6th century (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 58). The earliest reference in the annals is in 1055 when Murchad O’Brien was attacked in Corcomroe and the church of Finnabrach was burned (ibid., 83). It is not clear if any of the fabric of that church is incorporated in the present church. A plan by James Pain in the 1830’s shows thicker walls at the E end of the nave than the rest of the building which may reflect the incorporation of an older structure (O’Neill 2012-13, 199). According to Ó Carragáin (2010, 133) the lintel of the 11th-century church lies ex situ against the N wall of the chancel with a pair of square sockets for the vertical posts of the door frame carved into its underside. The chancel dates to the beginning of the 13th century with some 15th century windows in the S wall.  The nave is difficult to date. The chancel arch was blocked up and a window inserted in the 1840s when the nave was converted into the parish church of Kilfenora (CL016-015004-) this portion is still in use as a place of worship and the 19th century layout and furnishings are still intact). The chancel arch was modified to incorporate a three-light E window, tall lancets were inserted into each of the bays of the S elevation, a new doorcase replaced the medieval one at SW and a porch and vestry were created at the W end of the nave. A figure corbel in the SE corner was dated to the late 13th or early 14th century by Hunt and may be a chancel arch respond (ibid., 202). The nave may have been intended to have aisles as pointed-arched bays are present but the aisles may not have been constructed. James Pain’s 19th-century drawing of the S elevation shows the form of the windows before refurbishment. These and the S doorway appear to be 13th century in date or slightly later (ibid.). The nave was reroofed in the early 2000s. Test trenches were dug immediately outside the nave in order to assess drainage capacity. It appears that a paved pathway existed around the cathedral at least to the S and NE (Rogers 2002, 9). The W gable has an unusual stepped elevation culminating in a belfry with four small pointed pinnacles at the corners and a larger one in the centre. A straight stone staircase in the thickness of the wall runs in front of a two-light W window and leads to a foreshortened turret staircase at the SW corner lit by a small slit window. The practice of the ‘Sarum rite’ where choirboys sang out through the W window on Palm Sunday may explain this arrangement (O’Neill 2012-13, 203). A clasping buttress at the NW corner gives the gable a lopsided appearance. A pointed doorway (H 2.16m; Wth 1.12m) at the W end of the S wall leads into a porch (3.72m E-W; 5.17m N-S) that currently houses three effigial tombstones (CL016-015011-, CL016-015012- and CL016-015015-). The door has chamfered jambs externally and the mitred head of a bishop over with a protruding corbel over that. The pointed arch has a roll-moulded hood with horizontal stops. Two wooden doors lead from the porch to the nave and the vestry. The nave and W gable are heavily rendered externally. Two indentations visible in the N wall of the nave externally mark the locations of two blocked up windows. Two chimneys correspond to the two fireplaces inserted in the 19th century. A 13th century font (CL016-015019-) is placed against the S wall of the nave. The chancel (int. dims. 10.97m E-W; 6.38m N-S) survives to roof height. It was roofed with oak and was used up until the early 19th century (Westropp 1910, 100). It has a triple-light E window (overall Wth 4.5m) in the Transitional style with three round-headed lights of equal height under a semicircular rear arch with roll-moulding the whole way around the arch, jamb and sill. The deeply splayed mullions have carved capitals, one with foliage and the other with four clerics in a row. Externally the opes have individual roll-mouldings. There are two 15th century windows in the S wall. That at the W end is a two-light transomed window with cusped ogee-heads, splayed ingoings and a flat arch. Fine stone tooling is evident on the jambs and external chamfers and on the ope heads and spandrels and there is a rectangular hood-moulding ending in decorative carvings. A single ogee-headed window in the middle of the S wall has been blocked up. It also has a small rectangular hood- moulding and stone tooling. E of that a doorway (H 1.62m; Wth 0.64m) is accessed by 4 steps up from the chancel floor. The door has a pointed arch with a round rear arch and a hanging eye at E. Externally the jambs are chamfered and tooled and there are triangular stop chamfers. A double piscina and aumbry occupy the SE corner. The piscina has two pointed arches and two scalloped basins with drain-holes. A sedilia with elaborate tracery is on the N wall of the chancel with mitred head of a bishop over. W of this is a pointed doorway (H 1.55m; Wth 0.77m) into the Lady Chapel. Another door (H 2.11m; Wth 1.08m) exits to the exterior at the W end of the N wall. This is quite plain with a flat lintel and two steps up from the interior. There is a plain rebate externally and a small spudstone. Portion of a chest-tomb (CL016-015018-) is mounted on the S wall and a wall monument (CL016-015017-) is on the N wall. Two medieval graveslabs (CL016-015020- and CL016-015021-) lie towards the E end and a number of architectural fragments lie on the ground including the base of a triple-light window. The Lady chapel (int. dims. 9.6m N-S; 5.76m E-W) is a later addition to the church. It is not bonded to the chancel wall. It has two wicker-centred arched recesses built against the chancel wall which according to O’Neill (2012-13, 203) served to support the south gable of this separately roofed structure. Although more ruinous, this area was converted c. 2005 in order to display and interpret several high crosses and cross fragments (CL016-015006-, CL016-015007-, CL016-015008- and CL016-015013-). It was roofed with steel and glass/perspex. The floor level is higher than the original leaving the windows and other features very low to present ground level. A pointed doorway (H 1.94m; Wth 0.76m) with well-cut rear arch and splayed ingoings towards the S end of the W wall exits onto the exterior. It has been robbed out externally especially the head and S jambs. An earlier threshold of this door was found during excavation to be at a depth of 0.3m (Rogers 2002, 7). The chapel is lit by three windows in the E wall and one in the W. The most southerly window in the W wall has a tall narrow pointed ope (H 2.16m; Wth 0.17m) with splayed ingoings and a pointed rear arch formed of narrow rough voussoirs. The middle window has a round-headed ope (H 1.16m; Wth 0.16m) under a round-arched well-cut rear arch with splayed ingoings. The sill has been robbed out. Both of these windows have shallow splayed external rebates. The most northerly window has largely been broken out and a protective mesh inserted (Wth of ope 0.77m; Wth of splay 1.18m). The window in the W wall is round headed (ope H 1.35m; Wth 0.17m) with splayed ingoings, a nicely carved arch and a decorative sill stone. Between two of the windows in the E wall there is another piscina, again with two pointed arches but the central column is missing. Again there are two scalloped basins with drain-holes. The N wall is featureless except for a recess (Wth 0.85m; H 0.46m; D 0.56m) at what is now floor level. Kilfenora cathedral is a national monument in State care, no. 8.  The following images have been uploaded:  CL016-015002-_01.jpg View of Kilfenora cathedral/C of I church from SE. CL016-015002-_02.jpg C of I church from SW. CL016-015002-_03.jpg E window exterior. CL016-015002-_04.jpg Door at W end of S wall leading to porch. CL016-015002-_05.jpg Mitred head of bishop of SW door. CL016-015002-_06.jpg View of interior E window in E gable. CL016-015002-_07.jpg Carved capital on E window. CL016-015002-_08.jpg Elaborate tracery on sedilia on N wall of chancel. CL016-015002-_09.jpg Mitred head above sedilia. CL016-015002-_10.jpg Internal E wall of Lady Chapel. CL016-015002-_11.jpg Lady Chapel from SW with high crosses installed. CL016-015002-_12.jpg Figure corbel, possible chancel arch respond. Compiled by: Mary Tunney Date of upload: 29 August 2018