St Fin Barre's Cathedral

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About St Fin Barre's Cathedral

St Fin Barre's Cathedral stands on the south bank of the River Lee, on the spot where, according to tradition, St Finbarr, patron saint of Cork, founded a monastery in the 7th century. Churches have stood on the site for more than a thousand years, until the present building was constructed between 1865 and 1879 to designs by the English architect William Burges, in 13th-century French Gothic style. It belongs to the Igreja da Irlanda.

From the outside the cathedral is notable for its three limestone spires, the tallest about 73 metres high, and for the west façade with three portals covered in sculpture. On the roof, above the east side, stands the Angel of the Resurrection, a gilded figure with a trumpet; local legend says that when the angel sounds it will be the end of the world.

The interior has stained glass windows designed by Burges, mosaics on the choir floor, a painted ceiling above the altar and marble sculpture. Burges designed almost everything, from the ironwork to the pulpit and the pews. A cannonball from the siege of Cork in 1690, found in the tower of the earlier church, is displayed near the entrance.

A few minutes' walk away, Elizabeth Fort, a 17th-century star-shaped fortress, has walls open to the public with views over the cathedral and the city centre. The cathedral holds daily services, and sightseeing is suspended at those times.