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document.write("The\nGreat Western Door and Porch The\nporch lies directly inside the main entrance, flanked by twin doors separated\nby a granite column. It has recessed orders with a pointed arch executed in\nrestrained moulded granite. On the wall to the right of the main doors are two\nplaques - one commemorating the blessing of the Cathedral on 17th December 1989\nby Bishop Edward Daly, following the completion of the re-organisation of the\nsanctuary and internal restoration. The second plaque displays the names of the\nfour Bishops buried at the Cathedral. Three are buried in the crypt. Bishop\nNeil Farren (1939-1973) is buried outside. A new secondary porch, similar in\ndesign to the outer porch was erected in 1989, as was the small porch in the\nnorth aisle. The door on the right of the ‘secondary porch’ is the entrance to\nthe spiral staircase which leads to the organ gallery and the door on the left\nleads to the belfry. On\npassing through the entrance doors, the visitor is struck by the artistic\nbeauty of the interior. It is in keeping with the Cathedral’s outward imposing\nand beautiful appearance. The\nplan of St. Eugene’s is a simple one of neo-gothic expression. A lofty, seven\nbay nave - 160ft (49m) in length and 35ft (10.5m) wide is flanked on either\nside by aisles of equal length. Beyond the great chancel wall are another two\nbays and two side alters. At the northeast corner is a small, two storey\nsacristy block which was extended and refurbished in the late 1980s. The\nsacristy has Tudor style windows with different stone facing as opposed to the\nmiddle gothic style of the windows elsewhere in the Cathedral. Above\nthe nave arcades is the clerestory with twelve pointed windows, glazed in clear\nglass. Between the windows, the pine ribs of the valuted ceiling reach down in\nthe form of pilasters, terminating on sculptured heads commemorating saintly\npersonages of Ireland’s past. Depicted on the ceiling is the oak leaf and the\nCross. These were painted by the firm of Carlin Decorators, Derry, during the\ninternal restoration work in 1989. The\npews in the nave and aisles are made of oak and were manufactured by Messrs.\nO’Neill Bros., Derry, in 1989. The\nOrgan Gallery. Entering\nthe main body of the Cathedral, you will pass under the supports of the organ\ngallery which was extended in 1904. The work was carried out by Messrs.\nCourtney & Co, Belfast. The slender columns of the gallery contrast with\nthe massive octagonal sandstone pillars of the nave arcades. At the top of each\ncolumn there is a ring of oak leaves with a dove nestling among them; these are\nsymbols of St Columba, Patron Saint of Derry. (Derry derives its name from the\nIrish ‘Doire Calgach’ meaning ‘The Oak Grove of Calgach’. Calgach was a pagan\nwarrior who had his camp on the ‘island of Derry’ in pre-Christian times).\nSurrounding the organ gallery are angels holding musical instruments. There is\nalso a carved Latin inscription which reads: ‘Laudate eum in tympano et choro,\nlaudate eum in chordis et organo’ (‘Praise him with drum and dance. Praise him\nwith strings and pipes’) Ps. 150. Looking\nup from the body of the <\/span>church\ntowards the rear of the nave, <\/span> <\/span>a high\npointed arch rises behind the organ gallery and beyond it the magnificent\nTelford & Telford Organ which was installed in 1873. Behind the organ is a\nlarge stained glass Rose Window with a Celtic pattern, which was installed in\n1920. This was the only window in the Cathedral to be designed by Clokey &\nCo. All the <\/span> <\/span>other stained glass windows\nwere the work of Meyer, Munich.<\/span><\/p> North\nAisle. At\nthe rear of the North Aisle is a large stained glass window depicting Saint\nColumba blessing Derry. The window above the side porch depicts the Agony In\nThe Garden as as one proceeds up the aisle, the themes of the windows are as\nfollows: •\nThe First Communion of St. Aloysius •\nThe Raising of Lazarus •\nThe Blessed Virgin giving the Rosary to St. Dominic •\nThe Triumphal Entry of Christ into Jerusalem •\nChrist blessing the Children •\nChrist appearing to St. Margaret Mary. The\nStations of the Cross are located on both aisles. Their meaning can be clearly\nand easily interpreted. It is thought that they were made by itinerant Italian\nstone masons who travelled around Ireland carrying out work in many Irish\nchurches. Red\ncircles with a gold cross were painted on the walls for the consecration of the\nCathedral. These crosses were anointed during the consecration ceremony. Above\neach circle is a candle sconce. Candles are traditionally lit each year on the\nanniversary of the consecration (21st April) and on the feast of St Eugene\n(23rd August). Baptismal\nFont Located\ndirectly at the top of the North Aisle is the circular baptismal font, made of\nwhite Carrara marble by Stone Developments, Ballinasloe, in 1989. The quotation\ncircumscribing it reads: ‘Springs of water, Bless the Lord, Give him Glory and\nPraise forever’. The quotation is punctuated by a carving of a large oak leaf,\nthe symbol of St. Columba, Patron Saint of Derry. The\ncarved wooden statues on the ledge above the sacristy door were part of the\nwooden canopy of the original pulpit erected in 1906 and removed during the\nrestoration work in 1989. It was designed by E.J. Toye and carved in Austrian\noak by the firm Ferdinand Stuflesser & Co., Austria. Blessed\nSacrament Altar As\npart of the permanent re-organisation of the sanctuary in 1989, a new side\naltar of Sardinian granite was installed. The altar is used by visiting priests\nsaying Mass or when there is a small congregation present. The\noriginal reredos (panelling at the back of the altar) has been retained. Made\nof Caen stone and Irish marble, the reredos is sculptured in huge relief and\ndepicts the Twenty-four Elders with crowns upon their heads, holding harps and\nadoring the figure of the Lamb. The two groups stand under arched and recessed\ncanopies. There\nis a canopied niche at both sides of the reredos. Saint Peter the Prince of the\nApostles is on the left hand side holding the keys of the Kingdom (a symbol of\nthe Papacy) and a book. Saint Paul is on the right hand side holding a sword\nand a book. In the wall at the side of the altar is an ornately carved\nsacrarium. This was the place where the water, used to wash the altar linen was\npoured. The stained glass window at the back of the altar depicts the Last\nSupper. Main\nAltar In\nthe major renovation undertaken in 1989 a new square altar of Carrara marble\nwas placed under the chancel arch. The floor of the sanctuary was extended and\ncompleted in polished Sardinian granite. The ambo, tabernacle stand and\ncelebrant’s chair were constructed from Carrara and Macedonian marble. The\ndesign of the celebrant’s chair was kept simple so as not to distract attention\nfrom the Bishop’s chair which is placed behing it. The\nstone and marble were supplied and fashioned by Stone Developments,\nBallinasloe, and Feely & Sons, Boyle, Co. Roscommon. The\nsymbolic oak leaf appears on the edge of the carpet on the sanctuary floor. The\ncarpet was manufactured and laid in 1989 by Craigie Ltd., Ayrshire, Scotland. Sanctuary\nLamp The\nlarge ornate brass sanctuary lamp which is suspended from the ceiling above the\nmain altar was installed in the Cathedral in 1906. It was designed by a Dublin\narchitect, Thomas Coleman and manufactured by the Dublin firm, Gunning &\nReynolds. The top of the lamp is in the shape of a crown and studded with red\nand blue glass. The lamp was originally estimated at £50 but was in fact\nobtained for the princely sum of £25. The brass on the lamp was refurbished in\n1989 by Charles Beggin, Roscommon. Tabernacle The\ntabernacle in silver-plated bronze was made and decorated in 1989 by a Kilkenny\nsilversmith, Peter Donovan. The symbols on the door depict the Lamb of God,\nsheaves of wheat and bunches of grapes representing bread and wine. Figures of\nthe Twelve Apostles appear on the sides of the tabernacle, six on each side. The\nReredos The\nreredos behind the tabernacle was completed in 1904 and is made of Caen stone\nand Irish marble. The figures and scenes depicted above the string course in\nthe upper part of the reredos are, from left to right: •\nSt. Eugene - Patron Saint of the Diocese •\nGroup of Adoring Angels •\nThe Nativity •\nGroup of Adoring Angels •\nGroup of Adoring Angels •\nThe Presentation in the Temple •\nGroup of Adoring Angels •\nSaint Columba in monastic habit with a crown at his feet. The\nscenes depicted in the lower part of the reredos are, from left to right: •\nThe Cottage of Nazareth •\nThe finding of Our Blessed Lord in the Temple in the midst of the Doctors •\nThe Healing of the Paralytic •\nThe Raising of Lazarus. Bishop\nKelly Memorial Window When\nthe Cathedral was opened in 1873 all the windows were of plain glass. In 1891,\nthe glass in the Bishop Kelly Memorial Window above the reredos and the two\nwindows over the side altars was replaced with stained glass. The Memorial\nWindow is divided into seven lights of stained glass which illustrate\nsignificant scenes from Christ’s life: •\nThe Nativity •\nThe Baptism of Christ •\nThe Agony in the Garden •\nThe Crucifixion •\nTaking down from the Cross •\nThe Resurrection - Empty Tomb •\nThe Ascension Below\nthese are prominent Saints of the Irish Church - from left to right: St.\nPatrick, St. Brigid, St. Canice, St. Eugene, St. Columba, St. Dympna, St. Mura. Bishop’s\nChair On\nthe right hand side of the main alter (close to the position occupied in 1873)\nis the Bishop’s chair. The cross and the episcopal symbols of a mitre and a\ncrosier are emblazoned in gold on the leather covering on the back of the\nchair. It was carved in oak by Meyer, Munich and installed in 1898. The\nchair is significant because a Cathedral, as the principal church of a diocese,\ngets its name from the Bishop’s chair - The Cathedral. Our\nLady’s Altar This\nsmall altar terminates the south aisle and has been retained in the Cathedral\nas a shrine to Our Lady. The statue of Our Lady was purchased from Meyer,\nMunich in 1898 and cost £30. It stands on a pedestal of five clustered columns\nwith carved capitals. At the back of the statue is an arch of angels, the two\nupper angels holding a celestial crown over the head of the Blessed Virgin. At each\nend of the reredos, made of Caen stone, is a canopied niche, richly carved and\nsupported by Irish marble columns. The niche on the left contains a figure of\nSt. Joachim (the father of Our Lady) holding in his right hand a staff and in\nhis left, a basket containing two turtle doves. In the right hand niche is a\nfigure of St. Anne (Our Lady’s mother) holding a book which is turned towards\nthe onlooker. The book is inscribed in Latin: ‘ecce virgo concipiet et pariet\nfilium’ (‘behold a virgin will conceive and bear a son’) Is. 7:14. Underneath\nthe altar is the crypt, the final resting place of Bishops Kelly, McHugh and\nO’Kane. The\nwindow at the back of the altar depicts the Visit of the Magi. On the wall to\nthe side of the altar is a bust of Bishop Francis Kelly. The windows inside the\nchancel depict St. Joseph on his death bed with Mary caring for him while Jesus\nblesses his foster father, and St. Aloysius Gonzaga being blessed by Pope Pius\nV in the presence of Cardinal Bellarmine. South\nAisle Directly\nin front of Our Lady’s Altar at the top of the South Aisle there is\naccommodation for the choir. The windows above the choir depict St. Joseph, the\nImmaculate Heart of Mary and St. Anthony of Padua, and the Transfiguration. As\nyou continue down the South Aisle, the themes of the stained glass windows are\nas follows: •\nThe Presentation in the Temple •\nChrist among the Doctors •\nThe Holy Family
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