<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>The Collegiate Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Youghal</TITLE> <META content=Church name=Author><LINK rev=made href="mailto:clerks.youghal@cork.anglican.org"> <META content=Church name=Data> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=unicode"> <META content=Church, name=description> <META content="Clerks, Clerks Choral, Youghal, Collegiate Church, Youghal Church, Church of Ireland, Ireland, Protestant Church Youghal, Sir Walter, Youghal Clerks, Youghal Music, Youghal College, Youghal Arts, National Monument Youghal, Irish Arts, Irish Music, Finest Choirs, Best Choir in Ireland, One of the Finest Choirs in the World, Oldest Church in Ireland, Choral Services Youghal, Cork, Cloyne &amp; Ross, Cathedal Choirs Ireland, Cork Anglican Cathedral Music, East Cork Music, Professional Choir Youghal" name=keywords> <META content=? name=copyright><LINK href="buildings_files/style.css" type=text/css rel=stylesheet></SCRIPT> <SCRIPT language=JavaScript src=""></SCRIPT> <STYLE type=text/css>.style1 { COLOR: #ffffff } .style5 { FONT-SIZE: 11px; COLOR: #999999 } .style10 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #284526 } .style11 { COLOR: #10290c } </STYLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.5726" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY class=bgAll scroll=auto> <TABLE height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD class=bgTop height=518> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=bottom width=4>&nbsp;</TD> <TD width="1390" height=518 bgColor=#284526 class=topPlace> <TABLE height=530 width=1400 align=left border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=816 height="526"><IMG src="buildings_files/exterior6.jpg" alt="The Collegiate Church" width=757 height=493></TD> <TD width=574 bgColor=#284526> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <TABLE height="46%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=205 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=205 height=213> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=205 border=0> <TBODY> <TR onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#646D5A';" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='';"> <TD class=buffering vAlign=top width=1>&nbsp;</TD> <TD class=mainlinks style="CURSOR: hand" onclick="location.href='http://www.youghal.cork.anglican.org/history';" border1>History</TD></TR> <TR onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#646D5A';" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='';"> <TD class=buffering vAlign=top width=1>&nbsp;</TD> <TD class=mainlinks style="CURSOR: hand" onclick="location.href='http://www.youghal.cork.anglican.org/building';">Building</TD></TR> <TR onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#646D5A';" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='';"> <TD class=buffering vAlign=top width=1>&nbsp;</TD> <TD class=mainlinks style="CURSOR: hand" onclick="location.href='http://www.youghal.cork.anglican.org/nave';">Nave</TD></TR> <TR onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#646D5A';" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='';"> <TD class=buffering vAlign=top width=1 height=19>&nbsp;</TD> <TD class=mainlinks style="CURSOR: hand" onclick="location.href='http://www.youghal.cork.anglican.org/chancel';" style2>Chancel</TD></TR> <TR onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#646D5A';" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='';"> <TD class=buffering vAlign=top width=1>&nbsp;</TD> <TD class=mainlinks style="CURSOR: hand" onclick="location.href='http://www.youghal.cork.anglican.org/north';">North Transept </TD></TR> <TR onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#646D5A';" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='';"> <TD class=buffering vAlign=top width=1>&nbsp;</TD> <TD class=mainlinks style="CURSOR: hand" onclick="location.href='http://www.youghal.cork.anglican.org/south';">South Transept </TD></TR> <TR onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#646D5A';" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='';"> <TD class=buffering vAlign=top width=1>&nbsp;</TD> <TD class=mainlinks style="CURSOR: hand" onclick="location.href='http://www.youghal.cork.anglican.org/clerks/choralservices.html';">Choral Services </TD></TR> <TR onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#646D5A';" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='';"> <TD class=buffering vAlign=top width=1>&nbsp;</TD> <TD class=mainlinks style="CURSOR: hand" onclick="location.href='http://www.youghal.cork.anglican.org/clerks/';" style1>The Clerks Choral </TD></TR> <TR onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#646D5A';" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='';"> <TD class=buffering vAlign=top width=1>&nbsp;</TD> <TD class=mainlinks style="CURSOR: hand" onclick="location.href='http://www.youghal.cork.anglican.org/union';">Ardmore / Castlemartyr </TD></TR> <TR onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#646D5A';" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='';"> <TD class=buffering vAlign=top width=1 height=29>&nbsp;</TD> <TD class=mainlinks style="CURSOR: hand" onclick="location.href='http://www.youghal.cork.anglican.org/contact';"> <P>Contacts</P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR> <TR> <TD class=longbottomborder vAlign=bottom noWrap height=30>&nbsp;</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P class=style1>&nbsp;</P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P>&nbsp;</P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top height=682> <TABLE height="69%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="91%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top bgColor=#e4e2e3 height=665> <TABLE borderColor=#3a5a35 height="82%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR height=1> <TD class=border vAlign=top borderColor=#3a5a35 width="71%" bgColor=#e4e2e3 height=69> <DIV class=maintext> <DIV>The Present Edifice </DIV> </DIV></TD> <TD width=29%>&nbsp;</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD class=mainPlace vAlign=top bgColor=#e4e2e3 height=596> <DIV align=left> <TABLE borderColor=#3a5a35 width=1409 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top borderColor=#3a5a35 width=86 bgColor=#e4e2e3 height=939> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P class=style10>&nbsp;</P></TD> <TD width=38>&nbsp;</TD> <TD width=1271> <TABLE borderColor="#3a5a35" width="1075" border="0"> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign="top" borderColor="#3a5a35" width="713"><p><STRONG>This building is of remote antiquity. </STRONG>It is one of the oldest Christian sites in the country and occupies a site devoted to religious worship from pre-Christian times. The building is now a National Monument of unparalleled historical importance for Ireland.</p> <p>The church is presumed to have been a monastic settlement of Saint Declan of Ardmore (c450). Rebuilt in the Hiberno-Romanesque style (c750) the Great Nave was erected in the year 1220. That the early 13th century re-building was under the direction and at the hands of four guilds of operative master masons is witnessed to by the masons marks to be found on the pillars of the gothic arches.</p> <p>The blue, red and grey stone building is cruciform in shape, symbolic of the truth that the very existence of the church is dependent upon the death and resurrection of Christ.</p> <p>The main entrance to the church is through the decorated West doorway. Adjoining the building is a sixty-three foot donjon tower of feudal times, now used as the bell tower. The extensive graveyard is almost completely surrounded by the town walls, where one can inspect the Archers' Walk and a space for a pauper's coffin</p></TD> <TD vAlign="top" borderColor="#3a5a35" width="352" height="249"><p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="buildings_files/eastavenue.jpg" alt="Eastern Avenue and gate Lodge" width="312" height="200" align="right"></p></TD> </TR> </TBODY> </TABLE> <p><img src="buildings_files/priestsdoor.jpg" alt="The Priest's Door, into the High Quire" width="454" height="608" align="left"> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="buildings_files/roofs.jpg" alt="The Roofs of the Great Nave, from the town walls, to the South West" width="637" height="450" align="right"></p></TD> </TR></TBODY></TABLE> </DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR> <TR> <TD class=bgBotL bgColor=#3a5a35 height=17> <DIV class=style5 align=left> <DIV align=center>The Collegiate Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Youghal, County Cork, Ireland. Telephone 024 - 91014. Email youghal@cork.anglican.org. Open throughout the year. </DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></BODY></HTML>