I'm not a religious person but I find churches fascinating. All
other buildings are liable to be changed, demolished or ruined, but
churches in general can survive basically unchanged for hundreds of
years.
St. Josephs, Terenure
There was no church of any denomination in Terenure until the
second half of the 19th Century. Previous to that, the churches in
Rathfarnham provided sufficient accommodation for the residents of
Terenure. In 1865 Canon Byrne, the parish priest of Rathfarnham,
undertook to provide a church and schools for Terenure. He
purchased a large field near the crossroads as a site and called a
public meeting where £150 was subscribed for the erection of two
schools. Before the schools were completed Canon Byrne learned that
the Presentation Sisters were coming to Terenure to open a girls
school and decided to convert his proposed girls school into a
chapel of ease. This small chapel was opened in September 1866 and
was the only one in Terenure until the present St. Joseph's was
dedicated on 24 April 1904. James Joyce was baptised at the church
in 1882.
In 1916 Fr John Healy became parish priest. His greatest work in
Terenure was the erection in 1920 of the three-light stained glass
crucifixion window behind the high altar, one of the masterpieces
of Harry Clark.
In fact, St. Joseph’s has several Harry Clarke windows:
The Crucifixion & The Annunciation (1922) and The Coronation of
the Virgin in Glory (1922 &1923). The crucifixion for the east
window of St. Joseph’s was a major commission for Harry
Clarke to undertake. Harry’s theme for the window was the
Adoration of the Cross by Irish saints. On 23rd May, 1920, the
window was consecrated and unveiled. A further commission for a two
light window for the Lady Chapel in Terenure was received by Harry
in February 1922. The left-hand light known as the Annunciation was
exhibited at the Aonach Tailteann art exhibition and the Gaelic
Revival festival. It won Harry first prize in the stained glass
section.
The Crucifixion is positioned high above the altar. The
background for each of the lights is a spectacular red and gold
sunset, offset with evergreen trees. The top panels of the first
light depict six golden-haired angels praying in profile. The
middle and lower panels depict ten Irish saints. St. Patrick is
depicted at the front of the saints, attired in traditional green
robes. The top panels of the central light depict five angels
attired in gowns of gold and white, with elaborate wings of blue
and red. The Holy Spirit, denoted by a dove, is in the centre of
the group. In the main panels, Jesus is shown on the cross. The
lower panel of the central light shows Mary, Saint John and Mary
Magdalene at the bottom of the cross.
The top panels of the third light depict six angels, dressed in
decorated robes of white, blue, green, gold and red. The main and
lower panels of the third light depict ten Irish saints kneeling in
adoration. Saint Brigid of Kildare kneels in the foreground in blue
robes.
The Annunciation window is bordered by clear glass
panels, decorated with colourful flowers. The background is
decorated with hanging green trees and flowers. The top panels
depict the Angel Gabriel, resplendent in robes of purple and
magenta, decorated with tiny floral motifs and tied with a blue
sash. The angel’s undergarment is a magnificent scarlet and
white lace petticoat, and she wears a turquoise pair of ballet
slippers. A dove is depicted beside the angel, denoting the Holy
Spirit. Mary is depicted below the angel, gazing out at the viewer
with an innocent expression. She is robed in a gown of deep blue,
purple, and green and she wears a small blue headdress.
The right-hand light is the Coronation of the Virgin in
Glory, completed by Harry Clarke in 1923. The top panels depict
Christ attired in a blaze of colour, surrounded by saints in white
robes. Mary, the crowned virgin, is resplendent in a dark blue
cloak and an emerald and turquoise robe. She wears an elaborate
crown that seems to emit flames of fire. Mary is surrounded by
several female figures from the Old Testament. The lower panel
depicts a distraught Adam and Eve. The window is signed at the left
of the lower panel: Harry Clarke 1923.
The Cache
Update: 14/06/2011: The cache is now a micro (no more nano!) and
is located just down the road from the church. Ideally, this would
be a multi but that would screw up everyones stats to change it.
Please put the cache back carefully! There is no on-street parking
available. All the 15 buses stop just outside.
I want to place a Church Micro cache too
The Church Micro IE series is open to everyone; if you have a
church you would like to place a cache at then please contact
THE_Chris through Geocaching.com. This is to keep track of the
numbers of the churches and give you the general format for the
cache page. In the UK there are ~1500 caches in the series so we
have some catching up to do! Also, if you currently have a
published cache at a church that you would like to include in the
series, get in contact and we can add it.