The Ardfert Cathedral () is a ruined

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Ardfert Ardfert () is a village and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Kerry, Ireland. Historically a religious centre, the economy of the locality is driven by agriculture and its position as a dormitory town, being only from Tralee. T ...

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

, Ireland. Dedicated to

Saint Brendan Brendan of Clonfert (c. AD 484 – c. 577) is one of the early Irish monastic saints and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is also referred to as Brendan the Navigator, Brendan the Voyager, Brendan the Anchorite, and Brendan the Bold ...

, it was the seat of the Diocese of Ardfert from 1117. It is now a

heritage tourism Heritage tourism is a branch of tourism centered around the exploration and appreciation of a region's cultural, historical and environmental heritage. This form of tourism includes both tangible elements, such as historically significant sites, ...

site.

History

Ardfert was the site of a Celtic Christian monastery reputedly founded in the 6th century by

. Although the

Synod of Ráth Breasail The Synod of Ráth Breasail (or Rathbreasail; ) was a synod of the Catholic Church in Ireland that took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and parish-based church. Many present-day ...

in 1111 had put the cathedral for Ciarraige at

Ratass Church Ratass Church is a medieval church with ogham stone inscriptions in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. It is a National Monument. Location The church and adjacent graveyard are located on Quill Street, in the eastern suburbs of Tralee. History It ...

near

Tralee Tralee ( ; , ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the River Lee') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in ...

, it was moved to Ardfert by 1117. The Diocese later renamed "Ardfert and Aghadoe", although it is unclear whether Aghadoe "Cathedral" ever operated as a separate diocese. The site has three medieval church ruins, the main and earliest building being from the 12th century. Within the adjoining graveyard there are two other churches, ''Temple Na Hoe'' dating from the 12th century and ''Temple Na Griffin'' dating from the 15th century. Over 2,000 burials were found when the site was excavated The main church has an

ogham Ogham (also ogam and ogom, , Modern Irish: ; , later ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish language ( scholastic ...

stone and a number of early Christian and medieval grave slabs. In the 15th century, a small

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

was added and

battlement A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...

s were constructed. During the

Reformation in Ireland The Reformation in Ireland was a movement for the reform of religious life and institutions that was introduced into Ireland by the English Crown at the behest of King Henry VIII of England. His desire for an annulment of his marriage was known ...

, the established

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

became Protestant. The cathedral roof was destroyed during the

Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...

, but the south transept was re-roofed and extended later in the 17th century. From 1663 the diocese was united with the Diocese of Limerick and the former cathedral became a parish church. In 1871, when a new Church of Ireland church was opened, the cathedral's roof was again removed. After the 1871 disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, its disused historic sites, such as Ardfert Cathedral, were transferred to the Board of Public Works, now the

Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) (; legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Government of Ireland, Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of owned and ren ...

. Part of the

has been restored, and houses the entrance and a gift shop.

References

External links

Ardfert Village website - Site plan and old postcard of St Brendan's Cathedral

Brief information

"The Building of Ardfert Cathedral"

"Herritage Ireland/OPW visitor page"
{{Cathedrals of the Church of Ireland Former cathedrals in Ireland Archaeological sites in County Kerry Former churches in County Kerry National monuments in County Kerry Anglican cathedrals in the Republic of Ireland

History

See also

References

External links