St. Brigid's Church, Straffan

Church in County Kildare, Ireland
53°18′45″N 6°36′31″W / 53.312573°N 6.608696°W / 53.312573; -6.608696LocationStraffan, County KildareCountryIrelandDenominationCatholicChurchmanshipRoman RiteWebsitehttps://celstra.ie/HistoryDedicationBrigit of KildareDedicated1786ArchitectureFunctional statusactiveStylevernacularGroundbreaking1786Completed1788SpecificationsLength22 m (72 ft)Width9 m (30 ft)Number of floors1Floor area200 m2 (2,200 sq ft)Materialslimestone, slate, cast iron, stained glassBells1 (in churchyard)AdministrationArchdioceseDublinDeaneryMaynoothParishCelbridge and Straffan

Saint Brigid's Church is an 18th-century Catholic church in Straffan, Ireland.[1]

Location

St. Brigid's Church is located in the centre of Straffan village, 900 m (½ mile) north of the River Liffey.[2]

History

St. Brigid's Church bears a foundation stone with the date "1786" and the church was consecrated on 28 August 1788.[3][4][5] The gates outside were added c. 1860.[6] St. Brigid's was renovated in 1913–15, with a Gothic Revival altar in white and red marble added, as well as the stained-glass windows in the west (probably by Joshua Clarke and Sons).[2]

The church was renovated in 1986 and rededicated by Archbishop of Dublin Kevin McNamara.[7]

Art and music

The church contains:

There is also a two-manual pipe organ. Originally built in Derby in 1914, it was moved to Straffan and rebuilt by Stephen Adams in 2019.[10]

Above the altar is a coved ceiling with acanthus-leaf centrepiece encircled by grape-laden vine tendrils. There are stucco hoodmouldings around the windows with ornamental stops.[2]

Sanctuary area

Building

St. Brigid's Church is a three-bay Catholic church on a T-shaped plan.[11]

  • Pipe organ
    Pipe organ
  • Paintings by Katsuya of Mary, Jesus and John
    Paintings by Katsuya of Mary, Jesus and John
  • Altar carvings with grapes, vine leaves, fleur-de-lys, wheat, chalice and Eucharist
    Altar carvings with grapes, vine leaves, fleur-de-lys, wheat, chalice and Eucharist
  • Altar
    Altar

References

  1. ^ "Naas to Zouch Mill". 21 July 1868 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c Tierney, Andrew (2019). The Buildings of Ireland: Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly. Yale University Press. p. 602. ISBN 9780300232042.
  3. ^ "Architectural History". Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain. 21 July 2018 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Brady, John (21 July 1965). "Catholics and Catholicism in the Eighteenth-century Press". Catholic Record Society of Ireland, St. Patrick's College – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Architectural History". Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain. 21 July 2018 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Saint Brigid's Catholic Church, STRAFFAN, Straffan, KILDARE". Buildings of Ireland.
  7. ^ a b Informational signs in the church.
  8. ^ "Religious 1". Katsuya.
  9. ^ "Religious 2". Katsuya.
  10. ^ "Straffan, Co. Kildare". Stephen Adams Organbuilder.
  11. ^ "Search Error: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage". www.buildingsofireland.ie.