04.07.2013
St Patrick’s Cathedral to open 750 Year Old Wing to The Public for First Time
Tourists will have the chance to connect with 750 years of history when the newly refurbished Lady Chapel at St Patrick’s Cathedral opens to the public next week. The official launch of the restored Chapel will get underway at 6.30pm on Tuesday next, July 9. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, will officiate. There will be a press preview earlier that morning at 11.30 am.
Constructed in the 1270’s, the Lady Chapel is one of the oldest sections of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which up until now was closed to the public.
Speaking ahead of the launch, the Dean of the Cathedral, the Very Reverend Victor Stacey said, “St Patrick’s Cathedral is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Dublin as it is, and with the reopening of this Chapel, we hope to reiterate our strong commitment to increasing the offerings to our visitors.”
“We would also hope that the Lady Chapel will represent a considerable addition to Dublin’s attractiveness to visitors, and as such we placed particular emphasis on procuring craftspeople based in Ireland, both for the restoration and the development of new furniture,” the Dean added.
The conservation project cost in the region of €700k and took over six months to complete. Apart from providing visitors with access to the Chapel, the work has illuminated the Cathedral because of the light enhancement created through the cleaning of the stone work.
The Chapel is devoted to Mary and includes a number of stained glass windows which reflect this. During the course of the extensive renovation of this section of the Cathedral, the stained glass was painstakingly cleaned and repaired.
Historically, the Chapel was the burial place of many bishops and archbishops before the reformation and it was used subsequently by the Huguenots and other congregations.
For further information, visit: www.stpatrickscathedral.ie.