Cathedral — Ardfert

National Monument No. 54. St Brendan's Cathedral (in ruins). Situated on an elevated rock outcrop to the S of the River Tyshe (Abhainn na Taibhse - river of the spectre). The complex includes the excavated and conserved ruins of a medieval cathedral whose chronology extends between the 11th to the 17th centuries. Ardfert is derived from Ard Fhearta which has several possible meanings. The most likely is ‘the height of the burial mound’ (O’Connor 1990, 5; Moore 2007, 13). The Early Medieval foundation at Ardfert is generally believed to have been founded by St. Brendan of Clonfert in the 6th century, however, there is no contemporary evidence to support this claim and it is most likely that his tutor and mentor St. Erc was the founder in the 5th century (Moore 2007, 16). The cathedral was fully excavated by Fionnbarr Moore, senior archaeologist with the NMS, over a seven year period in tandem with major conservation works carried out by Grellan Rourke of the OPW. These works have now been completed and Ardfert cathedral is now a managed visitor centre open to the public. All excavated interments in the cathedral were reburied in the newer section of the graveyard abutting the old one at the east (Dunne 2012, 5). St. Brendan's Cathedral was described in the Urban Survey of Kerry as follows; 'Historically almost nothing is known of this building from medieval documentary sources but it can be suggested on architectural grounds that the cathedral was built incorporating older fragments c 1260 (Leask 1955-60,ii, 114). It clearly suffered serious damage in the Desmond rebellion, and in 1584 was described as "nearly prostrated and devastated" (PRO 1881, 31). This state of affairs existed up until 1611 when it was listed among a number of ruined cathedrals in an act for their edification. In Ardfert's case, however, it was proposed to remove the cathedral see to Dingle (Brewer and Bullen 1873, 155). There is no evidence that the cathedral was ever restored and Smith's (1756, 68, 202-3) statement that the cathedral was destroyed in 1641 which is repeated by many writers is without foundation (but see O'Sullivan 1971, 40). The church consists of a long nave and chancel, measuring 44 by 8m, a south aisle and transept and a vestry/mortuary chapel north of the chancel. At least five periods of building are present. The oldest portion is twelfth century Romanesque work belonging to the buildings predecessor. The nave, chancel and south aisle are thirteenth century workmanship. The south transept was added in the fifteenth century; the vestry/ mortuary chapel in the sixteenth century, and alterations were made to this in 1668. The Romanesque Remains The Romanesque section of the west wall is built of sandstone and consists of a round arched door of two orders set in the north end of the wall with parts of a blank arcade on the north and south. The northern arcade consists of only one arch but it is evident that it originally extended beyond the present north wall, constructed in the thirteenth century. The wall surfaces of the arcades were faced with evenly cut and dressed blocks of sandstone, with the lower blocks set diagonally in a diamond pattern on either side of the door. The diamond pattern on the N side of the door rests on a long broken stone which has an elaborate interlaced design. The outer order of the door and the jambs have a chevron design and the capitals have trumpet capitals. The arches and soffits of the arcades are also decorated with chevrons and the pillarette to the south of the door between the arcades is decorated with a sugar barley twist. The centre section of the north wall is constructed of very large roughly coursed blocks of limestone, and it has been suggested by Hill (1870) that it is also of Romanesque date. It is out of alignment with the west end however and, if it is of Romanesque date, it can only be explained as part of another church because it is too long to have functioned as the chancel of the twelfth century cathedral. The Thirteenth Century Cathedral This was constructed of uncoursed rubble limestone with occasional blocks of sandstone, the quoins are of pink, yellow and grey sandstone. The building survives to its original height, with the gables standing to c. 10m and the side walls to c.7 and topped by15th/16th century crow-stepped battlements. The Chancel The east wall has three graded lancet windows, with sloping sills, flanked internally by two wall niches rising from an internal string course, now 30 cm above ground level. The external jambs are chamfored and the internal ones are moulding with banding 1.3m apart. The top of the mouldings are crowned by small capitals with worn stiff leaf foliage or openwork interlace. There are simple hood mouldings internally and externally with small floral stops on the internal arch. Above the window is a splayed flat arched rectangular opening with chamfered jambs in the gable. The two niches are similarly decorated but the arches have dog-tooth decoration. The east gable originally had two angle-buttresses but only that on the south east survives. The angle mouldings of the buttress have three quarter columns with stiff leaf capitals. The north wall contains rectangular wall-niche/aumbry, a narrow single-light window, and a door leading into the vestry. The Vestry is a later addition and originally the north wall would have been plain except for the rectangular wall-niche/aumbry, which is divided by a central pillar. The jambs are chamfered and one side of its rectangular hood-moulding has a weathered head with fleur-de-lys crown. The single light rectangular window has chamfered limestone jambs opening into the church, and is an insertion. It is splayed with a flat rear arch and indicates the presence of a western extension to the vestry. The vestry was entered through a fine ogee-headed door with concave limestone jambs. The south wall has a row of nine lancets with cusped rounded rear arches. The external jambs are chamfered and the internal ones have a banded roll moulding. The eastern four are smaller than the the other five because they were placed over two wall niches/sedilia. These niches are badly damaged and lack most of their original jambs but sufficient survives to show that they were contemporary with the niches in the east wall. The hood moulding which runs over the western niche continues as a string-course under the remaining five windows. Under the sixth window from the east there is an inserted pointed door, splayed internally with flat linteled rear arch. West of the ninth window two projecting corbels, matched by two similar ones in the north wall indicate the position of the rood screen. A rectangular window with glazing bars and flat arch was inserted later between the corbels, and its sill-stone is a reused drainage channel from a wall walk. The Nave Above the older masonry in the north wall are two twin light windows, splayed internally, with pointed rear arches and sloping sills. The separating mullions and jambs are of chamfered sandstone. Close to the west end is a pointed sandstone doorway with chamfered jambs and flattened rear arch. The west wall was thickened to incorporate the Romanesque section and the occurrence of steps to the south of the door internally may indicate a former gallery above. South of the Romanesque arcading the thirteenth century wall has an external batter in the south wall. Only traces of the external jambs of two pointed windows survive above the eastern arch of the south aisle, where they were blocked up when the south transept was built. South Aisle Only small fragments of the west and south walls of the south aisle remain. The south wall is represented by about 1m of footings at the east end and the west wall is very collapsed. The former roof line is indicated by a series of corbels in the south wall of the nave. The aisle was linked to the nave by three pointed arches, with chamfered rectangular