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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Wordy Wednesday: Inside St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin

This was intended to be a Wordless Wednesday post, but ended up a lot 'wordier' than usual, so I have to call it Wordy Wednesday. The principal focus of this post is images taken inside of St. Patrick's Cathedral Dublin, but some explanations were required, thus the 'words'.

I have taken a lot of shots of this church, but these are a few of my favourites. These particular photos were taken on 11 September 2011. For me it was an odd day for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the fact of it being that terrible anniversary. I felt physically awful, and had all kinds of problems with each one of my cameras; I was carrying three. The place itself is a bit of a photographer's nightmare with lots of pot lights, spot lights, and shiny surfaces casting light back at you, usually when you least desire it.

Also, I had arisen late that day, and my schedule was completely turned upside down, so I arrived at the church later than I had planned, and a service was going on. You are not allowed to take photographs while a service is in progress, so I was waiting outside of the church talking to my new friend Margaret, who happens to be one of the proctors at the church. Margaret is basically in charge of corralling unruly tourists. While we were talking we were approached by a number of tourists who had come to the church for mass, and I was surprised to discover how many of them thought St. Patrick's Cathedral is a Catholic Church; it is not. St. Patrick's is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland, a member church of the Anglican Communion.

Christ Church Cathedral, the other Cathedral in Dublin, is also a Church of Ireland Cathedral, and is the official seat of the Church of Ireland in Dublin. Believe or not there is no official Catholic Cathedral in Dublin, only St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral. The explanation of all of this is in a post for another day. For now, please enjoy these indoor shots of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Be sure to click on them to view a larger version.

One of the first sights you notice on entering the Cathedral is this remarkable monument, which dates to 1631,
and stands in memory of Richard Lord Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, his wife Lady Katherine, and their children.


The choir area and the Knight's stalls.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral was the chapel of the Order of St. Patrick. These knights and their sovereign were each given a stall in the choir area of the chapel in which was displayed his, or her in the case of Queen Victoria, heraldic symbols. Notice each stall is topped by a helm; the fabric draping from it is called mantling. The family crest is on the back of the stall, and hanging above each stall is that particular knight’s heraldic banner bearing his coat of arms.



The main altar.
The main pulpit crafted of stone and marble stands on the right hand side of the main hall.
The golden eagle lectern stands on the left.
The inscription reads: 'How beautiful are the feet of those that preach the gospel of peace'.
The stairway to the organ loft.
Copyright©irisheyesjg2012.
Click on photographs to view larger version.

3 comments:

  1. I am so glad you adapted that "Wordless Wednesday" to a "Wordy Wednesday," Jennifer! I've always had trouble with that concept, myself. In this case, I'm glad you added lots of explanation. I didn't know much of that information, myself, and I appreciate it. The part about the knights' stalls was so informative!

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  2. Jennifer, your day might have started on the wrong foot, but these photos are fabulous! Thanks, too, for all the "wordy" info! I'll be in Dublin soon for a break and now will be able to know more about the Cathedral when I visit. Especially love the stairway to the the loft, the light in that shot is amazing!

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  3. Hi Jacqi, and Hi Jenny,

    Thanks so much to each one of you for your comments; I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

    Jenny, I hope that you enjoy your trip and have the opportunity to visit St. Patrick's, and Christ Church Cathedral as well. They are not very far from one another. One thing I didn't post here is photographs of the tile floors from each church. Even the floors are extraordinary.

    Cheers to each one of you,
    Jennifer

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Cheers, Jennifer

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