Saints Peter and Paul's Church, Cork, Catholic church in Cork, Ireland
Saints Peter and Paul's Church is a Catholic church on Carey's Lane in central Cork, built of red sandstone with limestone dressing. It has a central nave under a gable roof and two aisles, with the roof carried on open timber beams resting on corbels carved with images of the choir of angels.
The foundation stone was laid on August 15, 1859, and architect E. W. Pugin completed the building in 1864 after winning a design competition. It stands as one of the earlier examples of Gothic Revival architecture to appear in Cork.
The church was built to replace Carey's Lane Chapel, a smaller structure of 1786. Its pulpit and confessionals were carved from Russian oak by craftsmen from Leuven and Cork, and the grand altar is cut from 36 tons of Carrara marble. The apse ceiling panels are painted blue and gold.
The church sits on Carey's Lane and is easy to reach on foot from Cork city center. Visiting outside of service times allows a quieter look at the interior and its details.
The ceiling panels above the altar are painted in blue and gold, creating a sharp contrast with the red sandstone of the outer walls. This shift in color between the outside and the inside often catches visitors off guard when they first walk in.
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