Saint Brendan's Cathedral

Clonfert Cathedral, also known as St. Brendan’s Cathedral, is a twelfth-century Hiberno-Romanesque structure on the site of Saint Brendan’s sixth-century monastery in Clonfert, Ireland. Although the building currently serves a Church of Ireland congregation, Irish Protestants and Catholics share interest in preserving this relic of their common cultural heritage. The stone edifice is distinguished by its portal and sandstone doorway, acknowledged to be the finest of its type in Ireland. The doorway is centered amid an exuberantly carved series of recessing arches featuring geometric, zoomorphic, and Celtic designs, above which are found several carved heads. The soft sandstone structure has weathered severely. Earlier conservation efforts, which did not fully address all the building’s problems, as well as substantial biological growth, have compounded the deterioration. The cathedral is now the parish church of a dwindling congregation with minimal resources to repair the building without outside assistance.

2000 World Wonuments Watch

The site was included on the 2000 World Monuments Watch and WMF, with support from American Express and the Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage, supported restoration efforts in 2003.

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