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Coordinates: 51°53′37″N 8°29′22″W / 51.8935°N 8.4895°W / 51.8935; -8.4895
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The western entrance is approached by double-hinged [[wrought iron]] gates,{{sfn|NIAH|2000}} and the doorway is capped by three limestone [[Rib vault|ribbed vaults]],{{sfn|O'Kelly|1950|p=292}} supported by [[capital (architecture)|capitals]] carrying [[relief]]s of the heads of six [[Munster]] saints: Finnbarr of Cork, [[Colman mac Duagh|Coleman of Cloyne]]; [[St. Gobnait]] of [[Ballyvourney]]; [[Brendan]] of [[County Kerry|Kerry]], [[Declán of Ardmore]] and [[Íte of Killeedy]].{{sfn|Teehan|Heckett|2005|p=40}} Each figure was later represented in the stained glass windows as well. The capitals were sculpted by Henry Emery, assisted by students at the nearby [[Cork School of Art]].{{sfn|Teehan|Heckett|2005|p=40}} The [[Tympanum (architecture)|tympanum]] over the door was designed by the sculptor [[Oliver Sheppard]], and is dominated by the figure of St. Finbarr, dressed in bishop's [[vestment]]s.{{sfn|Keohane|2020|p=210}}{{sfn|O'Kelly|1950|p=292}}
The western entrance is approached by double-hinged [[wrought iron]] gates,{{sfn|NIAH|2000}} and the doorway is capped by three limestone [[Rib vault|ribbed vaults]],{{sfn|O'Kelly|1950|p=292}} supported by [[capital (architecture)|capitals]] carrying [[relief]]s of the heads of six [[Munster]] saints: Finnbarr of Cork, [[Colman mac Duagh|Coleman of Cloyne]]; [[St. Gobnait]] of [[Ballyvourney]]; [[Brendan]] of [[County Kerry|Kerry]], [[Declán of Ardmore]] and [[Íte of Killeedy]].{{sfn|Teehan|Heckett|2005|p=40}} Each figure was later represented in the stained glass windows as well. The capitals were sculpted by Henry Emery, assisted by students at the nearby [[Cork School of Art]].{{sfn|Teehan|Heckett|2005|p=40}} The [[Tympanum (architecture)|tympanum]] over the door was designed by the sculptor [[Oliver Sheppard]], and is dominated by the figure of St. Finbarr, dressed in bishop's [[vestment]]s.{{sfn|Keohane|2020|p=210}}{{sfn|O'Kelly|1950|p=292}}


The timber doorway once contained an iron grille which has since been removed. The doors hang on wrought iron strap-work hinges fashioned, according to writer Paul Larmour, in a "Celticized art nouveau" style{{sfn|Teehan|Heckett|2005|p=40}} and were designed by the architect [[William Alphonsus Scott|William Scott]]. The doorway leads into a small oblong nave 72 by 28 feet (22 by 8.5 m), within a timber barrel vaulted ceiling, that ends at a square ended area around the [[chancel]] 26 by 18 feet (7.9 by 5.5 m). The [[sacristy]] is located on the left (north side) looking towards the altar, under the bell tower.{{sfn|O'Kelly|1950|p=291}}
The timber doorway once contained an iron grille which has since been removed. The doors hang on wrought iron strap-work hinges fashioned, according to writer Paul Larmour, in a "Celticized art nouveau" style{{sfn|Teehan|Heckett|2005|p=40}} and were designed by the architect [[William Alphonsus Scott|William Scott]]. The doorway leads into a small oblong nave 72 by 28 feet (22 by 8.5 m), within a timber barrel vaulted ceiling, that ends at a square ended area around the [[chancel]] 26 by 18 feet (7.9 by 5.5 m). The [[sacristy]] is on the left (north side) looking towards the altar, under the bell tower.{{sfn|O'Kelly|1950|p=291}}


==Mosaic floor==
==Mosaic floor==

Revision as of 04:18, 30 May 2020

Honan Chapel
Collegiate Chapel of St Finbarr[1]
The chapel’s west façade
Map
51°53′37″N 8°29′22″W / 51.8935°N 8.4895°W / 51.8935; -8.4895
LocationUCC campus
CountryIreland
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
DedicationFin Barre of Cork
Architecture
Architect(s)James F. McMullen and John O'Connell[2][3]
StyleArts and Crafts movement
Groundbreaking1915
Completed1916

The Honan Chapel (Template:Lang-ga,[4] formally Saint Finbarr's Collegiate Chapel, or The Honan Hostel Chapel[5]), is a small Catholic collegiate church built in the Celtic-Romanesque style on the grounds of University College Cork, Ireland. Designed in 1914, the building was completed in 1916, and fully furnished by 1917. The chapel's architecture and fittings are representative of the Celtic revival movement which sought to echo the aesthetic style found in Ireland and Britain between the 7th and 12th centuries.[6]

Its construction was initiated and closely supervised by the Dublin solicitor John O'Connell, a leading member of the Celtic revival and Arts and Crafts movements He was funded by Isabella Honan (1861–1913), the last member of a wealthy Cork family, who provided large donations towards the build of the chapel. O'Connell oversaw both the architecture design and the commissioning of its exterior carvings and interior statuettes, floor, furniture and liturgical collection. He closely guided the architect James F. McMullen and the builders John Sisk and Sons, and hired the craftsmen and artists involved in its artwork, many of whom incorporated elements of the Art Nouveau style.

The Honan Chapel is internationally known[7] for its interior which is designed and fitted in a traditionally Irish style, but with an appreciation of current trends in international art.[8] Its furnishings include the mosaic flooring, altar plates, metal work and enamels, liturgical textiles and sanctuary furnishings, and especially its nineteen stained glass windows; fifteen show Irish saints, the remainder show Christ, Mary, St. Joseph and St. John. Eleven were designed and installed by Harry Clarke, a major Irish artist who completed the works aged twenty seven. His windows were described by the art historian Nicola Gordon Bowe as "arguably his greatest work in stained glass".[9] A further eight were designed by A. E. Child, Catherine O'Brien and Ethel Rhind of "An Túr Gloine" (The Glass Tower) cooperative studio, founded by Sarah Purser in 1903.

Background and construction

The Honan Hostel, which with the Honan chapel was built adjacent to Donovans road. They were outside UCC's grounds at the time, but have been within the university's bounds since its expansion in the mid 20th century.[10]

Population growth and migration in the early 20th century led to the development of a number of suburbs around Cork city, including the building of churches to serve these new areas; the Honan Chapel was the first church built in Cork in the new century. Unusually,[further explanation needed] its development was rooted a longstanding educational disagreement between the Protestant and Catholic hierarchies. Queens College Cork (today known as University College Cork, or UCC) was incorporated in 1845 as part of a nationwide series of new universities known as the Queen's Colleges,[11] under a charter that excluded Catholic students.[12] In 1911 the Queen's Colleges ceased as legal entities, and Catholics were thereafter eligible to attend. At the same time, the Irish Universities Act of 1908 forbade government funding for any "church, chapel, or other place of religious worship or observance";[13] thus any centre for Catholic students would have to be built with private funding.[11]

Isabella Honan (born Isabella Cunningham in 1861) was the sister-in-law of Robert Honan, the last male heir of a wealthy Catholic family of butter merchants.[14][15] Robert and his brother Matthew had both died by 1909,[16] and Robert had left his estate to Isabella. When she died in 1913[17] she left £40,000 to the city of Cork, including £10,000 which her executor, the Dublin solicitor John O'Connell, was instructed to use toward a centre of worship for Catholic students in UCC, among other charitable and educational purposes.[18] These monies became known as the Honan Fund.[19][5] O'Connell used some of this money to fund scholarships for Catholic students at UCC,[20] and acquired the site of St Anthony's Hall (also known as Berkley Hall)[21] from the Franciscan order to develop an accommodation block for male Catholic students known as the Honan Hostel.[A][2][22]

In the chapel project O'Connell was assisted by the University president, Sir Bertram Windle. The UCC art historian Virginia Teehan[23] describes O'Connell and Windle as not only devout Catholics, but especially single-minded, creative, and energetic.[24] Windle has been described as "an especially gifted polymath who specialised on anatomy but also published important papers on medicine and antiquities".[2][25]

As architects, O'Connell employed the Cork firm James Finbarre McMullen and Associates [26] which had overseen construction of the Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital on Western Road.[27] The building's plans were drawn in 1914. The contractor John Sisk, also from Cork, was the principal builder[26] and completed the work at a cost of £8,000.[B][28] The foundation stone, laid on 18 May 1915 by Thomas A. O'Callaghan D.D., Bishop of Cork,[29] memorializes that the chapel was built "by the charity of Isabella Honan for the scholars and students of Munster".[28] It was consecrated on 5 November 1916, dedicated to Saint Finbarr, patron saint of Cork city and of the Diocese of Cork;[12][30] the grounds are located close to a reputed early Christian monastic site founded by Finbarr.[31]

Architecture

Tympanum with statue of St. Finbarr carved by Oliver Sheppard

The Honan Chapel was the first modern Irish church whose thematic design was not directed by either clergy or the universities.[10] O'Connell, who became a priest in 1929 after the death of his wife,[32] was an active member of the Celtic revival movement, and was a member of the Irish Arts and Crafts Committee, a fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, a member of the Royal Irish Academy, and was elected chairman of the Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland in 1917.[33][5][34] He was deeply interested in ecclesiastical archaeology,[20] and was acquainted with several members of the Irish Arts and Crafts and Celtic revival movements. O'Connell thus sought to construct a chapel that was "something more than merely sufficient ... a church designed and fashioned on the same lines and on the same plan as those which their forefathers had built for their priests and missioners all over Ireland nearly a thousand years ago."[35] He disliked the contemporary, international, approach to church building – which he described as "machine made" – preferring a localised and uniquely Irish approach to style and form, which he sought from the most skilled available local craftsmen. He wanted work on the chapel to be "carried out in Cork, by Cork labour and with materials obtained from the City or County of Cork".[36]

Honan Chapel's architectural style is Celtic-Romanesque.[18] While O'Connell's main inspiration was early medieval architecture, he was also influenced by certain recently built churches in County Cork, in particular Timoleague's parish church and the small chapel in Gougane Barra.[37] Compared to the decorative and sculpted elements of the chapel, its architecture is austere and modest.[38][39] Its interior has a very simple layout:[29] the main entrance, a six-bay nave, a two-bay chancel, and a nunnery.[26]

The six-bay rectangular nave is rather plain,[35][26] and lacks shrines where people could light candles or place flowers near devotional images; in this way it is similar to a Protestant church.[40] Its round bell-tower (campanile) and circular-plan[further explanation needed] are inspired by 9th-century round towers.[26]

The nave, looking west from the chancel towards the main entrance

The western entrance is approached by double-hinged wrought iron gates,[26] and the doorway is capped by three limestone ribbed vaults,[41] supported by capitals carrying reliefs of the heads of six Munster saints: Finnbarr of Cork, Coleman of Cloyne; St. Gobnait of Ballyvourney; Brendan of Kerry, Declán of Ardmore and Íte of Killeedy.[42] Each figure was later represented in the stained glass windows as well. The capitals were sculpted by Henry Emery, assisted by students at the nearby Cork School of Art.[42] The tympanum over the door was designed by the sculptor Oliver Sheppard, and is dominated by the figure of St. Finbarr, dressed in bishop's vestments.[39][41]

The timber doorway once contained an iron grille which has since been removed. The doors hang on wrought iron strap-work hinges fashioned, according to writer Paul Larmour, in a "Celticized art nouveau" style[42] and were designed by the architect William Scott. The doorway leads into a small oblong nave 72 by 28 feet (22 by 8.5 m), within a timber barrel vaulted ceiling, that ends at a square ended area around the chancel 26 by 18 feet (7.9 by 5.5 m). The sacristy is on the left (north side) looking towards the altar, under the bell tower.[29]

Mosaic floor

River of Life with fish
Pelican and tiger

The mosaic flooring was designed and installed by a German firm lead by the English resident Ludwig Oppenheimer. It is decorated with symbols the zodiac,[43] and images based on the mythological "River of Life",[26][44] as well as depictions of flora, fauna and river scenes.[19] The designs celebrate the creation of the earth, and illustrate passages from the Old Testament, including the "Benedicite" (also known as "A Song of Creation") from the Book of Daniel, which was sung during the office of lauds on Sundays and feast days. The pattern at the entrance contains a verse from Psalm 148 ("Praise to the Lord from Creation").[45]

Floor mosaic with sea creature

The floor mosaic comprises four sections. It begins at the main entrance on the west side with a sunburst and stars, surrounded by signs of the zodiac. The center of the aisle shows a beast's head, placed as the river mouth[46] from which flows a river with fish swimming towards the chancel. The east side of the nave shows a large coiled sea creature; that is part serpent, part dragon, part whale, [38] and a number of animals, including stags, deer and sheep, drinking from the river. Around them a series of exotic birds flying within forest trees.[38] The section inside the chancel itself show a globe and symbols of creation, including animals, plants and planets.[47] Interlaced Celtic and zoomorphs designs around the borders unify the four sections.[48]

The image of the sun and surrounding night stars inside the chapel's entrance signifies both the new day and resurrection, as Jesus is traditionally thought to have risen from the dead at dawn. Reflecting 12th century Christian art, the presence of signs of the zodiac indicate God's dominion over time.[49] The beast's head in the aisle contains a series of tripartite motifs representing the Trinity: spirals, trefoil knots and interlace containing three saltire crosses. The sea creature on the east end of the nave is mentioned in the verse contained on the floor by the entrance "dracones et omnes abyssi" (Dragons and all the depths).[50] Alongside it are the words "cete et omnia quae moventur in aquis" (whales and all that move in the water), words that in medieval exegesis conjured images of death, and direct reference to Jonah.[49]

The colouring of the floor by and inside the chancel is more subdued, and the imagery more restrained. The images show a paradise, that can be interpreted both as the garden of Eden, or the eternal paradise promised at the end of time. The imagery is of the seasons, elements, and symbols of the resurrection.[51]

A similar depiction on a 5th-century sarcophagus in the Lateran Museum shows Jonah swimming towards the open jaws of a whale with horned ears, and a long, coiled tail.[49][52] The reference serves to emphasize how Jesus overcame death. This connection is further made by the inclusion of the trees (tree of life) which in mythology grow in paradise and represent Christ, and the surrounding animals at rest, presented as symbols of his Christian followers.[53]

Chancel

Altar

Wooden carvings, Imogen Stuart, c. 1986

The chapel has had two altars; the first having been replaced in the mid 1980s. The original altar consists of a plain slab of Irish limestone, which O'Connell selected to contrast with the ornately carved Italian marble then in fashion, and which he disliked.[36] It was positioned on a five legged table, each of which was lined with an Irish crucifix[54] formed from simple geometric designs. They included zig-zag patterns in lozenge and saltire, continuous dots and chevron.[55][56]

The chapel's design contravened the requirements of the 1962 Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), enacted from 1987,[57] in two aspects. Firstly, as it was based on medieval churches and the old rites, it was built with a large spacial divide between the nave and chancel, in addition the altar was positioned at the very back of the chancel, with the priest facing away from the congregation.[58] In 1986, the German-Irish sculptor Imogen Stuart was hired by the firm of Richard Hurley & Associates Architects, tasked with the overall redevelopment of the chapel, to replace the altar, pulpit, priest's chair and baptismal font.[16] Stuart's large oak altar depicts two of Evangelists,[57] and being movable, allowed clergy and attendants to be physically closer together.[58] Although first intended for the center of the chancel, to be located on the focal point of the mosaic, this proved to be too far back and impracticable during ceremonies.[59] Although Stuart works with other materials, she favors wooden carvings, as exemplified by those at the front of the Honan altar.[60]

Tabernacle

The tabernacle is placed at the far end of the chancel and is the chapel's focal point. It is constructed from carved stone and shaped in a manner reminiscent of the arched roofs and entrances of medieval Irish churches.[61] Its two panels illustrate Christian themes,[62] The upper, triangular, panel is set in the gable of the "entrance", and shows the Trinity of God the father, a dove and Jesus crucified. Around them, two angles carry the sun, moon, and other symbols of creation. The lower rectangular panel, representing the doorway, shows the Adoration of the Lamb, with the lamb standing on brightly coloured altar decorated with three ringed crosses. Two angels acting as servers kneel before him. The adoration panel is set against a background of branches and leaves attached in silver-gilt.[16][63]

Lower panel of the tabernacle

The lower panel also shows the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, surrounded by what Teehan describes as "the deep blue void of Heaven".[63] Here he is accompanied by flights of angels, carrying instruments of the passion.[16] The enamel embellishments were added by the Irish craftsman and stained glass specialist Oswald Reeves,[64] and have been described as the best of his work.[63]

Stained glass windows

Harry Clarke
Sarah Purser

The chapel contains 19 stained glass windows; six are on either side of the nave, three are in the west gable, and another three are in the chancel.[65] Of these, eleven were designed by Harry Clarke, four by A. E. Child, and three by Catherine O'Brien.[57] O'Connell deliberately placed Clarke and Sarah Purser's An Túr Gloine studio in competition for the window's commission.[66] After he was sent Clarke's initial designs for the St. Gobnait window, O'Connell commissioned eleven windows from him, out of the nineteen that had been planned.[67] Clarke's windows were praised by several commentators when first shown in Dublin, with collector Thomas Bodkin writing that "nothing like Mr Clark's windows had been seen before in Ireland" and noting the "sustained magnificence of colour...intricate drawing...[and] lavish and mysterious symbolism."[68]

Although the windows of Clarke and Túr Gloine's studio's contain similar imagery, they vastly differ in style.[65] Clarke's are highly detailed, while An Túr Gloine's are deliberately simple. Both studios were asked to depict Gaelic saints from the "golden age" of Christianity in Ireland.[69] Each displayed their cartoons in Dublin before they were physically realised in Cork. Both shows were highly praised, and lead to some debate among art critics as to which sets were superior. In 1955, the Irish Michael J. O'Kelly summarised that each of the Honan windows are high quality and worthy of individual consideration. While his notes especially single out the windows designed by Child, O'Kelly believes that preferences come down to matters of personal taste.[54]

The windows in the chancel are: Our Lord (or "Christ in Majesty") (Child), Our Lady of Sorrows (Clarke), St. John (O'Brien) and St. Joseph (Clarke).[70] To the right of the chancel looking down are: St. Finnbarr (Clarke), St. Albert (Clarke), St. Declan (Clarke), St. Ailbe (Child), St. Fauchtna (Child) and St. Munchin (O'Brien). To the left are: St. Ita (Clarke), St. Coleman (Child), St. Brendan (Clarke), St. Gobnait (Clarke), St. Flannan (O'Brien) and St. Carthage (Rhind).[71][57]

Harry Clarke

Detail, St. Declan window

Clarke was beginning his career in 1914.[72] He offered five designs for the Honan bid, including a cartoon for the Gobnait window.[73] His merging of Catholic and early medieval imagery in a modern and individualised style was at odds with prevailing trends in Irish church art,[74][37] According to scholar Luke Gibbons, his break "from episcopal interference...enabled Clarke to exploit vernacular traditions of local saints...that belonged more to legend and folklore...and whose popular appeal lay outside the highly centralised power of post-famine ultramontane Catholicism."[72] Clarke was in his early 20s at the time, and the windows were his first to be installed in a public space, and established his reputation as a significant international artist.[67]

Clark's windows are all single lights containing registers and nine separate panels. The designs are richly coloured, and contain a deep, thick royal blue throughout. They contain simplified, often whimsical forms which are nevertheless highly stylised and evoke, in the words of the writer M. J. O'Kelly, "the spirit of the ancient Celt".[61] The panels blends Catholic iconography with motifs and events from Celtic mythology[75] in a style that draws heavily from Art Nouveau, in particular the darker, fin de siècle works of Gustav Klimt, Aubrey Beardsley and Egon Schiele.[72] The panels contain a multitude of Celtic designs and motifs, and figures and incidents from the life of each saint. The most obvious Celtic embellishments are Mary's red hair and green halo, and Brendan's pampooties.[72]

Some of the windows came close to being destroyed during the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin.[75] Before they were installed in Cork, the cartoons were displayed at his Dublin studio (known as "The Tower of Glass"),[17] where they were praised by contemporary art critics.[C][76]

St. Gobnait

Detail of the Gobnait window, 1916

The Gobnait window is widely considered the high point of Clarke's career. It was designed and fully executed by him,[D] and is located on the north side of the chapel.[77] The window shows the healer and saint Gobnait, who established a convent in Ballyvourney and became the patron saint of bees. Her panel is decorated by borders lined with beaded decorations in ruby and blue colours.[17] The window contains depictions of the thieves said to have tried to steal from her, and five of the insects that chased them away,[78] shown by Clarke as gigantic compared to the thieves.[75][E] Gobnait has a pale, thin and ascetic face and is given individualistic, unmistakably Irish features. She appears in profile, wearing royal blue and purple robes adorned with lozengd jewels, a veil and silver cloak.[65][77]

Alesso Baldovinetti, Portrait of a Lady in Yellow, c. 1465. National Gallery, London
Clarke, study for the Gobnait window, 1914. Corning Museum of Glass, New York.[73]

Her clothing draws from Léon Bakst's costume for Ida Rubinstein's 1911 performance of "Le Martyre de saint Sébastien".[79] Clarke shows her with her right arm outstretched in a pose that draws from both Beardsley and Alesso Baldovinetti's c. 1465 Portrait of a Lady in Yellow. The similarity to Baldovinetti's portrait is especially apparent in her tightly pulled back hair, high forehead and the profile of her nose.[75] Gobnait is described in early accounts as a "sharp-beaked nun" ("Mo Gobnat from Muscraige Mitaine), and according to writer Frank McNally, in Clarke's window "her nose has the trajectory of an Olympic ski-jump".[80] Klimt's influence is evident in the central panel's flatness, and how, using only the subject's face and hands, Clarke evokes, according to Kelly, "three-dimensional human expression", with all other details, including her robes, and the floral background, existing on a separate "two dimensional flat plain".[81] Detailed and complex floral patterns run along the outer borders of each of the window's registers.[81]

A well kown study was completed under considerable time pressure in five weeks in 1914, during the offer period for the commission. Drawn in pencil, pen, inks and watercolor on board, the cartoon was aided by his assistant Kathleen Quigly, and is now at the Corning Museum of Glass, New York.[73] The window has been described by Teehan as "kaleidoscopically sumptuous", and "filled with a wealth of art historical allusions, often unexpected".[79] According to the Irish novelist E. Œ. Somerville, the window conjures late 19th century decadence in its resemblance to an Aubrey Beardsley type female face, which "though horrible [is] so modern & conventionally unconventional...[Clarke's] windows have a kind of hellish splendour."[82] In 1917, Seán Keating completed a modernist oil on canvas painting titled "Thinking Out Gobneh", which shows Clarke working on a design for the window.[73][F]

St. Brendan

Detail, St. Brendan window

The St. Brendan, St. Gobnait and St. Declan windows were completed in the late summer and autumn of 1916. Following the 1916 Easter Rising, Clarke and his wife left Dublin to move into a cottage in Mount Merrion, Blackrock. Clarke was working under considerable pressure to meet an October deadline, so that the three windows would be built and installed for the Chapels consecration on November 5. His task was made more difficult as he was short of the brown glass flashed on blue for Brendan's window, and extra wide grooved lead for the thick blue slabs on Gobnait's.[83]

Judas Iscariot, lower register of the St. Brendan window

It references a number of incidences from the "Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot", first recorded c. 900 AD. Brendan wears a robe of blue, purple, greens and gold hues. Reflecting his reputation as a seaman and voyager, Brendan holds a paddle in his left hand.[84] In the lower panel, a grotesque claw-limbed image of Judas Iscariot,[40] who appears as a "devilish figure surrounded by red and yellow flames".[84] Brendan is said to found Judas abandoned on a rock in the middle of the ocean, to be tormented for eternity by demons for his sins.[69] In another chapter, he arrives at island of "Paradise of Birds", where birds sing psalms "as if with one voice"[69] in praise of God. Clarke depicts this chapter in the sketches of birds on the window borders.[69]

The nearby Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, contains a similarly themed, but smaller (66.7 cm x 51.4 cm), stained glass panel by Clark, titled The Meeting of St. Brendan with the Unhappy Judas (1910–11).[85]

Albert, Patrick, St. Brigid and St. Columcille

Detail, St. Albert window

Clarke shows Albert of Cashel wearing a purple chasuble, crimson stole and a bishop's mitre. The window contains several Celtic motifs, including bronze spirals around his hair and beard.[86] Depictions of Albert sometimes detail magical feats associated with him, which Gibbon describes in Clarke's work as "daring" for a church window, given such deeds owe more to pagan legend rather than "respectable traits of virtue and holiness."[72]

The three light window on the west wall, above the main entrance door, shows a triptych of St. Brigid, St. Patrick and St. Columcille,[87] with a base of five lilies under Patrick's light. Brigid is depicted alongside a calf, Patrick with a shamrock in his right hand, and Columcille alongside two flying doves. The Brigid light is especially detailed and contains an angel at the top of the window, and another four hovering at its foot. The writer Lucy Costigan suggests that the lilies may represent Brigid's miracles, prophesies, prayers and charities.[88]

Reception

Clarke's Honan windows were widely praised, and established his reputation as a significant Irish artist.[17] A contemporary reviewer described them as "remarkable" and a "distinct advance on anything which has been heretofore done in Ireland in stained glass", and compared them to French medieval glass, including those in the Gothic royal chapel of Sainte-Chapelle.[40] In particular, his blending of bold and often dark colours have been praised, especially in the effects they achieve in morning light.[89] The designer Percy Oswald Reeves highlighted the windows for their "beauty of ...colour, quality and treatment of each piece of glass."[90]

  • Albert of Cashel, central panel
    Albert of Cashel, central panel
  • St Finbarr, central panel
    St Finbarr, central panel
  • St Finbarr, lower register
    St Finbarr, lower register
  • St. Ita, lower register
    St. Ita, lower register

An Túr Gloine

Honan window, An Túr Gloine, c. 1916

Sarah Purser and Edward Martyn formed and financed the Túr Gloine (English: The Glass Tower) workshop in 1903,[9] which was a commercial success and often competed against Clarke for commissions.[91] She recruited A. E. Child, a teacher at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin, who managed the workshop often employing pupils of his.[92] The cartoons were, like those from Clarke's studio, designed and built in Dublin before installation in Cork. The eight windows are attributed to Child (St. Ailbe, St. Fachtna and St. Coleman), and his former pupils O'Brien (St. John, St. Flannan and St. Munchin) and Ethel Rhind (St. Carthagh).[61]

Although their designs are similar to Clark's in subject matter, they are very different in style and not of the same quality, being somewhat conventional by comparison.[57] The windows are minimalist in line and colour, consisting of a dominating but simplicity rendered and naturalistic central figure rendered in pale hues,[65] surrounded by uncomplicated, largely empty opaque sub-panels. The most prominently placed window is Child's "Our Lord", positioned on the east gable above the altar.[65] Child depicts the risen Christ in simple forms and subdued colours, and with a strong but dignified facial expression. O'Kelly's describes the portrait of his eyes "as look(ing) out on humanity with a welcoming and understanding sympathy."[93]

  • "St. Fachtna", Child c. 1916
    "St. Fachtna", Child c. 1916
  • "St. Ailbe" (detail), Child, c. 1916
    "St. Ailbe" (detail), Child, c. 1916
  • "St. Flannan" (detail), O'Brien, c. 1916
    "St. Flannan" (detail), O'Brien, c. 1916

St. John

O'Brien's "St. John" is the only window in the chapel to portray a biblical narrative.[94] It is usually considered the strongest of An Túr Gloine's windows, both in the strength of its imagery and in its craftsmanship. Sometimes mistakenly attributed to Child, it is very different to Child's "Our Lord" window, which is reminiscent of a more traditional style of stained glass design. Although O'Brien has not received the same level of study as other members of the An Túr Gloine studio, both Virginia Teehan and Nicola Gordon Bowe have commented on her "beguiling narrative details" and "successful harmonisation of colour with The Clarke windows in the chapel".[95]

The window is divided into three registers, each containing pairs of medallions. The imagery is mostly based on scenes from the life of Christ, based on the Gospel of John, and draws more from close readings of scripture than traditions of iconography. The upper register is based on Revelations 1:1, and shows a vision of the glorified Christ in Majesty, with the Alpha and Omega symbols and the seven candles. John, who throughout the panels is depicted as beardless young man, is shown at the side with his head bowed. The two medallions below this are based on the Gospel of John, and show, on the left, St. Peter and John running towards Jesus' tomb (with John outpacing Peter), and on the right, Jesus walking with Peter, with St John following behind.[96]

The crucifixion scene in the central register is more richly coloured that the other panels, and per tradition shows Mary and St. John at the foot of the cross. Less usual, and more usual of Protestant than Catholic iconography,[G] is the presence of a serpent with its mouth open, coiled around the cross below Jesus' feet. The serpent probably refers to Genesis 3:15, which reads: "And I will put enmity between thee (the serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."[97] The medallions below the crucifixion reflect two accounts of John's brother James, "the disciple whom Jesus loved".[97] The lowest register is again in bright colours and shows the calling of James and John. The images stays with scriptural tradition; they are accompanied by their father, and are the second pair to be called, after St. Peter and St. Andrew, who are already at Jesus' side. The eagle at the foot of the window is John's usual symbol.[97]

Artwork, furnishings and liturgical collection

O'Connell commissioned the Cork firm of Egan & Sons for the altar plate and vestments. He had a strong view on how the chapel should be presented and was keen that its artwork would draw from Ireland's ancient culture. In this, he was heavily influenced by 19th century antiquarian's research into early Christian and early medieval traditions and art, in particular the early medieval metal and stone works, and illuminated manuscripts at the time being newly discovered. He sought that the Honan Chapel would further reflect and promote the earlier period's emergent influence on Irish literature and visual culture.[36]

The furnishings and pews were designed to blend into the chapel's Celtic Revival style, and, according to Teehan create "a way that represented the spirit and skill of earlier times , [that] could be nonetheless be fully appreciated by contemporary society. The overall effect is one of simplicity and restfulness."[98] Such pieces include the circular iron ventilation ceiling panels and the chair and kneeler reserved for the president. Most of these wfittings were designed by McMullen, most of the others, including the pews, by Sisk & Son. Changes in liturgy following Vatican II meant that a number of furnishing had to be replaced, most of which were physically moved to storerooms of the University.[98]

The chapel has an extensive collection of metalwork and enamel pieces. They were built by Edmond Johnson's, Dublin, and the Cork firm William Egan & sons. All are in the Celtic Revival style. A highlight is the large processional cross, a replication of the 12th century Cross of Cong,[39] which contains a number of inscriptions, including a remembrance for the chapel's benefactors: Mathew, Robert and Isabella Honan, and for John and Mary O'Connell.[16][99] Other items include a processional crosses, chalices, candlesticks, dishes, bells, hinges, and the iron gates at the entrance.[100]

Most of the textile collection was designed by the Durn Emer guild, Dublin, and includes vestments, chasubles, burses, veils, stoles, maniples, altar cloths, wall hangings and altar fronts. Materials vary from silk embroidery, gold braid, gold thread, linen, poplin and cotton. The names of seamstresses from the Egan workshop are embroidered in the lining of some of the textile commissions.[23] In general the textiles are coloured in line with changes in the seasonal of the liturgical year. Most of the designs are centred around the Life of Mary, or the Passion, or Crucifixion, with black and white being the predominant colours.[101] A highlight is the Y-shaped, silver threaded chasuble in black poplin cloth, used as a vestment for funerals. A violet altar cloth with a frontlet, decorated with Celtic interlacing in shades of purple silk, orange and yellow highlights, and a border of lemon and violet cotton satin, is used to decorate the altar and candlesticks.[102] The "Black set" of Honan textiles includes an altar frontal with a Celtic cross based on a grave stone from Tullylease Church in Cork, a black cope and hood containing a crown of thorns design and a black chasuble designed for funeral masses containing Celtic interlace patterns.[101]

The pipe organ is located on the west wall in a timber frame.[26] It was built by Wicklow native Kenneth Jones and installed in 1996.[16][43]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ The chapel remains standing, but the nearby Honan Hostel (opened 1914) was demolished and replaced by the O'Rahilly Humanities Building in 1998. See UCC Conservation plan
  2. ^ In 1996, Sisk's company were contractors on the O'Rahilly Building project - a complex built on the site of the former Honan Hostel that stood between 1914 and 1991. See UCC website
  3. ^ Clarke's career in stained glass peaked early; from the mid 1920 he was preoccupied with legacy commissions left over from his father's workshop. See Gordon Bowe (1985), p. 36
  4. ^ A number of the earlier of Clarke's Honan windows were built by members of his studio based on either cartoons or drawings
  5. ^ Gobnait was born in County Clare but, to escape from a family problems, moved for a time the island of Inisheer where she founded a church. Clarke visited the island often during in the 1900s and later honeymooned there. According to the art historian Patricia Rogers "Harry certainly would have seen the famous ruins of Gobnet's first church on Inisheer, and these may have attracted him to the subject of this saint." See Rogers (1997), p. 209
  6. ^ Keating inscribed the back of the painting with the words "John Keating to Harry Clarke 29 Aug 1917". See Rogers (1997), p. 207
  7. ^ O'Brien, who joined An Túr Gloine in 1904, came from an Anglo-Irish, and devout Church of Ireland family. She is credited with three of the chapel's windows. See Hayes & Rogers (2012), pp. 130, 131

References

Citations

  1. ^ "Honan Chapel History". honanchapel.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Leland 2004.
  3. ^ Larmour 1992.
  4. ^ "Honan Chapel - Séipéal Uí Eonáin". UCC. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Wilson 2013, p. 24.
  6. ^ Sheehy 1980, pp. 163, 164.
  7. ^ Teehan 2016, p. 80.
  8. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 3.
  9. ^ a b Gordon Bowe 1985, p. 39.
  10. ^ a b Keohane 2020, p. 209.
  11. ^ a b O'Callaghan 2016, p. 163.
  12. ^ a b Baker 1999, p. 165.
  13. ^ "Irish Universities Act, 1908". irishstatutebook.ie. Government of Ireland. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  14. ^ O'Connell 1916, p. 11.
  15. ^ Ryan 2016, p. 3.
  16. ^ a b c d e f O'Callaghan 2016, p. 168.
  17. ^ a b c d Rogers 1997, p. 209.
  18. ^ a b O'Callaghan 2016, p. 164.
  19. ^ a b Leyland, Mary (25 January 2010). "An Irishwoman's Diary". Irish Times. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  20. ^ a b Good, Wendy (3 November 2016). "UCC's Honan Chapel celebrates centenary". Cork Independent. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  21. ^ 90th anniversary of the dedication of the Honan Chapel, Cork (PDF) (Report). University College Cork. 5 November 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2017.
  22. ^ Fennessy 2014, p. 282.
  23. ^ a b "Forgotten Faces of Art: The women of the Honan Chapel". University College Cork, 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  24. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 31.
  25. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 29.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h NIAH 2000.
  27. ^ "McMullen, James Finbarre". DIA. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  28. ^ a b O'Callaghan 2016, p. 165.
  29. ^ a b c O'Kelly 1950, p. 291.
  30. ^ MacErlean, Andrew ""St. Finbar". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. Retrieved 8 September 2019
  31. ^ Wilson 2013, p. 25.
  32. ^ Keogh & Keogh 2010, pp. 111–139.
  33. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 29-30.
  34. ^ Gordon Bowe 1985, pp. 29–40.
  35. ^ a b J.J.H. 1916, p. 613.
  36. ^ a b c Wilson 2018, p. 21.
  37. ^ a b J.J.H. 1916, p. 612.
  38. ^ a b c O'Kelly 1950, p. 293.
  39. ^ a b c Keohane 2020, p. 210.
  40. ^ a b c Wilson 2018, p. 25.
  41. ^ a b O'Kelly 1950, p. 292.
  42. ^ a b c Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 40.
  43. ^ a b McClatchie 2006, p. 14.
  44. ^ Field 2006.
  45. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 114.
  46. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 107.
  47. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, pp. 111, 112.
  48. ^ O'Kelly 1950, pp. 293, 294.
  49. ^ a b c Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 117.
  50. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 116.
  51. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, pp. 120–121.
  52. ^ Lawrence 1962, pp. 289–296.
  53. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 118.
  54. ^ a b O'Kelly 1950, p. 294-295.
  55. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, pp. 55, 56.
  56. ^ Wilson 2013, p. 27.
  57. ^ a b c d e Keohane 2020, p. 211.
  58. ^ a b Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 196.
  59. ^ "Portfolio: Honan Chapel, University College Cork". Richard Hurley & Associates Architects. Retrieved 28 March 2020
  60. ^ "The Big Story: Imogen is carving a life of her own". Irish Independent, 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2020
  61. ^ a b c O'Kelly 1950, p. 295.
  62. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 85.
  63. ^ a b c Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 86.
  64. ^ Larmour 1992, p. 186.
  65. ^ a b c d e O'Kelly 1950, p. 294.
  66. ^ Kennedy 2015, p. 99.
  67. ^ a b Gordon Bowe 1979, p. 99.
  68. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 163.
  69. ^ a b c d Wilson 2018, p. 28.
  70. ^ HayesRogers 2012, pp. 128, 130.
  71. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, pp. 102, 167.
  72. ^ a b c d e Gibbons 2018, p. 332.
  73. ^ a b c d Rogers 1997, p. 207.
  74. ^ Wilson 2018, p. 29.
  75. ^ a b c d Wilson 2018, p. 19.
  76. ^ Costigan, Lucy. "The Honan Chapel, Cork City". Harryclarke.net. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  77. ^ a b Costigan, Lucy. "St. Gobnait". harryclarke.net. Retrieved 27 March 2020
  78. ^ Rogers 1997, p. 210.
  79. ^ a b Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 181.
  80. ^ McNally, Frank (11 February 2017). "Gift of the Gob – An Irishman's Diary about the name Gobnait". Irish Times. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  81. ^ a b Sullivan 2018, p. 111.
  82. ^ Gibbons 2018, p. 332-333.
  83. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 174.
  84. ^ a b Costigan, Lucy. "St. Brendan". Harryclarke.net. Retrieved 27 March 2020
  85. ^ "Harry Clarke: Early Stained Glass". Crawford Art Gallery. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  86. ^ Costigan & Cullen 2019, p. 57.
  87. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 168.
  88. ^ Costigan & Cullen 2019, pp. 77–78.
  89. ^ Costigan & Cullen 2010, p. 97.
  90. ^ Gordon Bowe 1985, p. 36.
  91. ^ Gibbons 2018, p. 311.
  92. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, pp. 99, 167.
  93. ^ O'Kelly 1950, p. 294-5.
  94. ^ Hayes & Rogers 2012, p. 128.
  95. ^ Hayes & Rogers 2012, p. 131.
  96. ^ Hayes & Rogers 2012, p. 130.
  97. ^ a b c Hayes & Rogers 2012, p. 129.
  98. ^ a b Teehan & Heckett 2005, p. 232.
  99. ^ Beecher 1971, p. 53.
  100. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, pp. 202–209.
  101. ^ a b Teehan & Heckett 2005, pp. 210–225.
  102. ^ Teehan & Heckett 2005, pp. 201.

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