Building

The National Monuments Service's description

An early medieval stone building which was demolished to foundation level to make way for the 13th-century St Canice's Cathedral (KK019-026029-) (Bradley 2000, 1). Sections of what were considered its foundations were uncovered during restoration works at the cathedral in 1845 on the W side of the interior of the chancel interior, and outside the chancel on its N and S sides (Graves and Prim 1857, 65 (fig opposite). These ‘ancient foundations [which] would appear to have formed the nave of the more ancient church, its chancel extending eastward, beyond that of the existing structure’ (Graves and Prim 1857, 25-6, 32, 68, 114-20). The foundations identified in 1845 on either side of the chancel exterior had been reused for anchorites' cells in the later medieval period. A collection of thirteen ornamental carved stones, capitals, jambs and voussoirs, said to have come from this building are stored in the N transept of the cathedral church; a capital is built into the S wall of the S transept and another is built into the E external wall of the chancel (Harbison 1974). It has been pointed out that the building's dimensions (c. 20m N-S), as proposed by Graves and Prim, are too wide to be an E-W orientated church and it is more likely to have been on a N-S alignment, and therefore not a church (Ó Drisceoil 2004, 86-7). A possible alternative location for the church is a large NE-SW orientated building (KK019-026265-) which was identified in a geophysical survey (04R026) to the E of the round tower (KK019-026175-) and it has been suggested the structure found in 1845 may be the remains of a historically documented residence of the kings of Ossory at the cathedral in the 11th-12th century (Ó Drisceoil 2004, 86-7).

Compiled by: Cóilín Ó Drisceoil

Date of upload: 16 November 2020

References

Graves, J. and Prim, J.G.A. 1857 The history, architecture and antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny. Dublin. Hodges, Smith and Company.

Ó Drisceoil, C. 2004 Probing the past: a geophysical survey at Saint Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny. Old Kilkenny Review 56, 80-106.

Harbison, P. 1974 Carved stones from the twelfth century predecessor of St. Canice’s Cathedral. Old Kilkenny Review, 6.1, 26-9.

Bradley, J. 2000 Kilkenny. Irish Historic Towns Atlas no. 10. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy.