St Catherine’s (RC) Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

French Gothic revival church with square tower and spire, all executed in Newry granite with sandstone dressings, on west side of Dominic Street. More fully known as the Dominican Church of the Sacred Heart and St Catherine of Sienna. See also St Catherine’s Dominican Priory (HB16/29/001B), which is attached to left elevation.

Main elements of the church comprise the nave, semicircular apse at (geographical) west end, two lower side aisles and tower. Abutting the left aisle, between the chancel and nave, is a two-storey link block to the priory.

Roof of nave is pitched natural slated, with rounded end at apse. Embellished with decorative terracotta ridge tiles, metal cross finial at apse end and stone cross at street end. Side aisles have natural slate monopitch roofs, with cyma-recta cast-iron rainwater goods.

All walls, unless otherwise stated, are of rock-faced granite blocks laid in regular courses, with tooled edges to corners and chamfered projecting base; sandstone dressings to openings. All windows have alternating black and grey rock-faced granite blocks above their hood moulds or window heads, creating a polychromatic effect.

The main façade, which faces east onto the street, comprises a fenestrated gable with a tower to left (which terminates the left side aisle), and side aisle at right. The gable has a chamfered projecting base course with diminishing buttress at right; it is coped with ashlar granite blocks, with a kneeler at right. At centre, five ashlar granite steps, with chamfered parapet walls on both sides and modern metal handrail between, lead to main entrance. This has a Gothic arch separated by a trumeau into two openings, with six-foil roundel in tympanum and with carved sculpture of a lamb with crown above (cusps are foliated). Angle shafted colonettes with foliated capitals support the deep moulded door reveal. Flush sandstone course along façade on either side of door at arch spring level; hood mould with human face springing stones. In gable above main door is a Gothic opening with geometric glass inserts and hood mould with human face springing stones. This opening has five narrow lancet windows in lower portion; above is a large circular window (seven cusps) at centre with two smaller ones on either side with cinquefoil cusps. In gable apex is a small louvred hood-moulded vent.

At right, five ashlar granite steps with chamfered ashlar parapet walls lead to diagonally-sheeted timber door set in moulded and recessed Gothic arch, hood mould over with foliated terminals to each end; granite string course on either side of arch spring. Above door is hood-moulded roundel with cinquefoil tracery and leaded glass. A projecting string course runs diagonally from above the roundel towards the main entrance, giving the lean-to a pitched roof appearance; this is accentuated with a stone cross on the apex of mock gable. Abutting the right of this gable is a granite curtain wall (with stepped parapet) containing a door with dressed granite pointed arch surround leading to a path along the outside side of the church towards rear.

The tower is square and has three stages topped by an octagonal stone spire. The first stage sits proud of main façade. It has double stepped granite base course with chamfered ashlar offsets (at door arch spring level). The street frontage contains a door, detailed as right lean-to gable. First stage left side has three narrow lancet windows with leaded glass. First stage rear is attached to side aisle and first stage right to nave. Projecting ashlar granite ogee string course, with ashlar offsets above between the first and second stages. All sides to first stage have shallow rock faced buttresses up each corner which have ashlar offsets just before second floor level. Front, left and rear sides have two tall lancet windows to each face; at rear, where the tower meets side aisle, left window cill is raised to clear aisle roof below. All windows have obscured diamond panes with lead cames. In walls above lancets are single roundels with cinquefoil tracery and semicircular hood moulds. Ogee moulded ashlar granite stringcourse between second and third stages.

Third stage is octagonal in plan with small octagonal corner towers to alternate faces. Each of the main walls has louvered lancet opening with deep splayed and stepped reveals and crocketted gablets above. Surmounted by ashlar granite spire with splayed octagonal base, double lancet lucarnes to each side and four bands of fish-scale decoration between base and top. Crocketted pinnacle with cast iron cross finial. Side towers terminate in octagonal (almost conical) spires with stone finials.

Both side elevations of nave are similar, with five pairs of leaded lancet windows with sandstone trimmings and continuous sandstone course at spring level. The aisle walls have ashlar granite corbels and a window between offset buttresses. Where the confessionals return below three windows on right elevation (and two on left elevation), a cill height wall links the buttresses with a flat roof behind. Clerestory walls are of rock-faced and coursed rubble with twelve pointed arch leaded lancets now with protective outer glazing. Side aisles terminate at west end in lean-to gables each with two plate tracery lancets and quatrefoil window above, all with sandstone dressings. The clerestory walls continue around to the apse where they form a continuous unbroken wall to ground level.

The link to Priory block is two storeyed with rock-faced granite blocks in regular courses with sandstone trimming and natural slated pitched roof. Its ground floor is level with the ground floor of the church, and its first floor is just above the ground floor of the priory. The street-facing façade is gabled with ashlar copings. Sheeted timber door, which leads into G/F chapel, has transom light with moulded Tudor arch above. Window to left is 1/1 sliding sash with head similar to door. Sandstone band links both at arch spring level. F/F has central Gothic recess within which is a pair of etched glass rectangular windows to oratory, with carved quatrefoil roundel above.

Abutting the rear wall is a lower one-storey annex containing the sacristy. Pitched slate roof with skylights and canted end bay, each side with a pair of rectangular windows with rectangular transoms above (iron security bars).

Setting

A flight of eight steps in a convex quadrant reveal lead up to the main entrance from street. The steps are flanked by rock faced retaining walls with ashlar copings supporting Gothic railings (there are similar along front of Priory, all seemingly copies or replacements of the originals). At the top of the steps are two cast iron lamp standards with modern globes. The area at the top of the steps is paved with additional steps up to main and right side aisle entrances.

Statue of Mary in grounds of Park opposite states: ‘JM & JD, This park is presented by the Misses Quinn of Queen St. House, Newry to the Dominican Fathers who have erected this statue in the consecration of the church by the most Rev. H.O’Neil D.D. Lord Bishop of Dromore on 4 August 1906 the Prior being The Very Rev. D.B. Falvey. St Catherine Pray for us.’

Historical information

Dominicans came to Newry in 1871 and were initially based at St. Mary’s Chapel (Chapel Street) before moving here. St Catherine’s designed by Messrs Ashlin & Co, Dublin, ecclesiastical architects. Foundation stone laid 23 May 1873; opened 17 October 1875. Various additions subsequently made, notably (1) side altar to St Joseph - designed by Messrs Ashlin, fabricated by Pearse (Dublin) and inaugurated 1878; (2) pulpit – 1883; (4) spire erected by McAdorey (Dundalk) 1883-84; (5) main altar - 1880s; (6) altar railings c.1900. Adjoining priory (HB16/29/001B) added 1882. Church consecrated 4 August 1906. Organ remodelled 1938. A new hall added on north side of church in 1967. Building refurbished 1969.

Source: Centenary brochure, 1971.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

French Gothic revival church with square tower and spire, all executed in Newry granite with sandstone dressings. This building is an imposing and attractive architectural composition by a leading Dublin architect. The building is complemented visually by the adjacent Priory. Historically, it is important in being the only purpose-built Dominican church in Northern Ireland, and possibly also the only spired Dominican church in Ireland.