Re: Re: reordering and destruction of irish cathedrals – St Colmans Cathedral, Cobh

On a more serious note, it is interesting that elements from the great Gothic cathedrals of Chartres, Amiens and Rheims provided much of the inspiration for the exterior of Cobh Cathedral. Adolphe-Napoléon Didron (1806-1867), the great theorist of the Gothic revival in early 19th century France, drew precisely on these three cathedrals to produce a plan for what he regarded as the model cathedral in the Gothic style. The plan was published in the first number of Annales archéologiques, published in 1844.
Didron was friendly with A.W.N. Pugin, so much so that he was present at the consecration in 1846 of Pugin’s little masterpiece, St Giles Church in Cheadle.
Didron’s interest in the Gothic Revival was sparked by the publication of Victor Hugo’s “Notre-Dame de Paris” in 1830. Coincidentally, Bishop William Keane, the first bishop of Cloyne associated with the building of Cobh Cathedral was ordained in Paris in 1828 and remained on the staff of the Irish College there until 1839. He must surely have come into contact with the ideas of Didron, Viollet-le-Duc and others associated with the French Gothic Revival movement.
This opens a very interesting avenue of research for influences on the planning of Cobh Cathedral.

For info on Didron, see the link:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04783a.htm

For pictures of St Giles in Cheadle, follow the link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/360/stgiles/index.shtml

To whet the appetite, here are some photographs of the interior of St Giles. Note the new altar, situated behind the chancel screen, which blends in perfectly with the overall setting.