“I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy house’: Magnificence and Catholic Architecture in Ireland, 1850–1900

Abstract

This article explores the deliberate invocation and communication of ideas of ‘magnificence’ by Catholic building projects across Ireland between 1850 and 1900. Through an analysis of the rhetoric and discourse surrounding the construction of three case studies in Tipperary, Limerick, and Armagh, the article identifies shared concerns with articulating architectural magnificence through drawing attention to the site, on architectural detail and formal style, and the high quality of building materials. This emphasis on magnificence is examined in terms of the need to justify and legitimate expansive and expensive building and re-building projects, which often relied heavily on fundraising from communities already under financial pressure. The symbolic importance of magnificence is also explored in the context of the increased focus on the church as the central location of Catholic life and worship in the second half of the nineteenth century. Finally, the decision by Catholics to invest in magnificent architectural styles that referenced the medieval cathedrals of France and the classical grandeur of Catholic Rome is repositioned. Rather that framing this as a diffuse architectural eclecticism, the use of these diverse historical exemplars is considered as part of the need to rebuild a ruptured Catholic architectural traditional in Ireland, and to create an architectural identity that expressed triumph over past adversity, as well as confidence in Ireland’s role in spreading the Catholic faith around the world.