Location Cavan, County Cavan Denomination Roman Catholic Status In Use Opened 1942 Architectural style Neoclassical architecture | Country Ireland Consecrated 1947 Groundbreaking 1938 Province Ulster Bishop Philip Leo O'Reilly | |
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Address Farnham St, Kinnypottle, Cavan, Ireland Diocese Roman Catholic Diocese of Kil Archdiocese Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh Similar St Fethlimidh's Cathedral, Cathedral of the Assumpti, Cathedral of the Most Holy Trini, Cathedral of Christ the King, St Macartan's Cathedral | ||
The Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim, also known as Cavan Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Cavan, Ireland. It is the seat of the Bishop of Kilmore, and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore.
History
In 1152, the Diocese of Kilmore was formally established by Cardinal Giovanni Paparoni at the synod of Kells. In 1454, Pope Nicholas V gave permission for the ancient church at Kilmore (founded in the sixth century by Saint Felim) to be the cathedral church of Kilmore diocese. It was rebuilt and became to be known in Irish as An Chill Mhór (meaning Great Church) and anglicised as Kilmore, which gave its name to the diocese, a name which has remained ever since. During the Reformation, the Roman Catholic diocese lost possession of the cathedral and all the other temporalities and passed into the hands of the Church of Ireland. Following the completion of the new Anglican cathedral in 1860, the pre-Reformation cathedral became a Church of Ireland parochial hall.
For almost 300 years the Roman Catholic diocese did not have a cathedral. In 1862, Cavan parish church was extended and it became the new cathedral of the diocese under Bishop James Browne. In 1938 construction of the present cathedral began, and was completed in 1942 under Bishop Patrick Lyons. W.H. Byrne & Son were the architects of the new cathedral, and the contractor was John Sisk & Son. The total build cost of the cathedral was £209,000.
The cathedral was dedicated to Saint Patrick and Saint Felim in 1942 and consecrated in 1947. Six stained glass windows from the studios of Harry Clarke were added to the cathedral in 1994.