Survey Data
Reg No
14817001
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Archaeological, Architectural, Social, Technical
Original Use
Church/chapel
Historical Use
Abbey
In Use As
Church/chapel
Date
1840 - 1845
Coordinates
222832, 208566
Date Recorded
23/09/2004
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached gable-fronted Roman Catholic church, built in 1842, on a ninth-century ecclesiastical site. Renovated and re-dedicated in 1977. Three-bay nave with entrance porch and bellcote to front elevation. Modern sacristy to rear with chimneystack. Pitched slate roof with cast-iron rainwater goods. Random coursed sandstone to entrance gable with cement pointing and inserted carved stones from early medieval abbey and modern date plaque. Re-rendering to side and rear elevations with ruled-and-lined detail. Square-headed window openings inserted to entrance gable and nave with replacement stained glass and painted sills. Square-headed door opening in entrance porch with modern timber door and overlight. Queen-strut trusses to ceiling. Date stone inscribed '899' to site. Site bounded by modern plinth wall with railings, rendered gate piers and gates.
Appraisal
The site of the ninth-century Saint Lugna's or Litter Abbey has witnessed a continuity of Christian worship for over a millennium. Physical evidence of its long and significant history is represented by the carved stones set into the gabled front elevation of the modernised nineteenth-century church. Carved from different stone types, one is a clear representation of a human head, while the other appears to be more abstract with well-worn interlacing. Though their exact provenance is lost, their retention within the site allows them to contribute to the archaeological record. The present church was built in 1842, replacing its predecessor which was destroyed in the great storm of 1839. The marble altar was donated in 1934 by Monsignor Timothy Dempsey, a native of Cadamstown and pastor of Saint Louis for many years. Further elements added in the 1930s include the queen-strut roof structure and timber pews.