St Patrick's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in the Cowgate part of Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built from 1771 to 1774, and became a Catholic church in 1856. The facade of the church was designed by Reginald Fairlie in 1929. It is situated between South Gray's Close and St Mary's Street north of Cowgate and south of the Royal Mile. It is a category B listed building.[3]
| St Patrick's Church | |
|---|---|
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  St Patrick's Church Location in Edinburgh | |
| 55°56′59″N 3°11′05″W / 55.9498°N 3.1846°W | |
| Location | Old Town, Edinburgh |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | StPatricksParish.co.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Patrick |
| Events | Facade added in 1929 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Category B listed |
| Designated | 14 December 1970[1] |
| Architect(s) | John Baxter, James Graham Fairley and Reginald Fairlie |
| Style | Neoclassical |
| Groundbreaking | 1772 |
| Completed | 1774 |
| Construction cost | £4,000 |
| Administration | |
| Province | St Andrews and Edinburgh |
| Archdiocese | St Andrews and Edinburgh |
| Deanery | St Giles[2] |
History
Construction
Designed by John Baxter, the original church was built from June 1772 to 1774 as a place of worship for the Scottish Episcopal Church. In 1818, the church building became part of the United Presbyterian Church. The Scottish Episcopal Church commissioned Alexander Runciman to produce a series of murals for the church. These were installed but covered over by the Presbyterian congregation. The murals were then forgotten until Duncan Macmillan discovered the murals' existence during the 1960s.[4] Since then, some of the murals have been recovered and remain on the east side of the apse and depict the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Elijah, Moses, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, and the Ascension of Jesus.[1] As of August 2018, the restoration of the murals remains underway.[4]
In 1856, the church was bought by the Apostolic Vicar of the Eastern District, Bishop James Gillis. The cost of £4,000 was borne half by the local congregation and half by the Catholic Church. On 3 August 1856, the church was opened in a Mass presided over by Bishop Gillis.[5]
Extensions
In 1898, the sanctuary for the church was remodelled and a new high altar was installed. It was designed by James Graham Fairley.[6] In 1921, the mortuary chapel was built in memory of the parishioners who died in World War I. From 1924 to 1925, two chapels were built in the church, the Lady Chapel and the Sacred Heart Chapel. In 1929, the front church facade was built. It was designed by Reginald Fairlie and included statues of St Patrick and St Brigid.[1]
Developments
In 2001, priests from the Redemptorists came to serve the parish. On 21 November 2014, after 13 years in Edinburgh, the Redemptorists left and the parish returned to the care of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.[7]
Notable persons
- Canon Edward Joseph Hannan (1836-1891) - ran the church for most of his life and founded Hibernian Football Club during this period
- Canon John Gray, (1866-1934) poet and priest associate of Oscar Wilde, curate and later founder of St Peter's Morningside.
- Margaret Sinclair (1900 - 1925) - nun, as Sister Mary Francis of the Five Wounds, declared Venerable in 1978. The National Shrine of the Venerable Margaret Sinclair is located within St Patrick's.
- James Connolly (Irish revolutionary/ Freedom Fighter) (5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) born in Scotland to Irish parents, George Washington of the Irish working class.
Parish
On 6 August 1875, Hibernian F.C. was founded in St Patrick's Church. The parish priest Fr Edward Joseph Hannan and Michael Whelahan from the parish's Catholic Young Men Society decided to create the football club. On 17 March 2013 (St Patrick's Day), a plaque commemorating this founding of the club was presented to the church by the Hibernian Supporters Club.[8]
The church has two Sunday Masses; they are at 11:00am and 4:30pm on Sunday.[2] The parish is part of a cluster with the nearby churches of the Sacred Heart, St Albert's, St Columba's, St Peter's and St Mark's.
See also
References
- ^ a b c 5 South Gray's Close, St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Edinburgh from British Listed Buildings, retrieved 30 June 2016
- ^ a b Parishes from Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, retrieved 30 June 2016
- ^ Edinburgh, Cowgate, St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church from Canmore, retrieved 30 June 2016
- ^ a b Miller, Phil (3 August 2018). "Hidden for 200 years: a unique Scottish artwork is being uncovered in an Edinburgh church". The Herald. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ The Church from StPatricksParish.co.uk, retrieved 30 June 2016
- ^ James Graham Fairley from Dictionary of Scottish Architects, retrieved 30 May 2021
- ^ 13 years in Edinburgh came to an end from Redemptorists.co.uk, 3 January 2015, retrieved 9 March 2021
- ^ Hibs’ Fans Present Plaque to St Patrick’s Parish Church from The Edinburgh Reporter, 18 March 2013, retrieved 30 June 2016
External links
Media related to St Patrick's Church, Cowgate at Wikimedia Commons- St Patrick's Parish site
