St. Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny, Catholic cathedral in Kilkenny, Ireland.
St. Mary's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral on James Street in the center of Kilkenny, built in the Gothic Revival style using brick and locally quarried stone. The building follows a cross-shaped floor plan and features pointed arches and detailed stonework on both the facade and throughout the interior.
The cathedral was designed in 1843 by architect William Deane Butler, commissioned by Bishop William Kinsella to serve the local Catholic community in Kilkenny. Construction finished in 1857, a period when Catholic institutions across Ireland were growing in presence and confidence.
The cathedral is an active place of worship where the local Catholic community gathers for Mass and other services throughout the week. Outside of service times, visitors can walk through the nave and side aisles, taking in the stonework and the arrangement of chapels along the interior walls.
The cathedral sits in the heart of Kilkenny and is easy to reach on foot from most parts of the city center. Entry to the interior may be limited during services, so visiting between them gives you more freedom to look around.
Inside the cathedral stands a marble sculpture of the Madonna made by Italian sculptor Giovanni Maria Benzoni, brought from Italy during the building's construction period. It is one of the few works by this sculptor found in an Irish church.
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