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Coordinates: 53°20′27″N 6°15′28″W / 53.34094°N 6.25784°W / 53.34094; -6.25784
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{{short description|Church in Dublin, Ireland}}
{{Use Irish English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox church
{{Infobox church
| name = St. Ann's Church
| name = St. Ann's Church
Line 4: Line 7:
| native_name =Eaglais Naomh Áine
| native_name =Eaglais Naomh Áine
| native_name_lang =ga
| native_name_lang =ga
| image = St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street, Dublin 20150808 1.jpg
| image = Dublin Saint Anne's Church 27-11-2023 10-16-57.jpg
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| imagealt =
| imagealt =
| landscape =
| landscape =
| caption =West view
| caption =West facade
|vicar=Paul Arbuthnot

| pushpin map = Ireland Central Dublin
| pushpin map = Ireland Central Dublin
| pushpin label position =
| pushpin label position =
| pushpin map alt =
| pushpin map alt =
| pushpin mapsize =
| pushpin mapsize =
| map caption = Location in Central Dublin
| map caption = Location in central Dublin
| coordinates = {{coord|53.34094|-6.25784|region:IE|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|53.34094|-6.25784|region:IE|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| osgraw =
| osgraw =
| osgridref =
| osgridref =
| location =[[Dawson Street]], [[Dublin 2]]
| location =[[Dawson Street]], [[Dublin 2]]
| country = [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
| country =[[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]


| denomination = [[Church of Ireland]]
| denomination = [[Church of Ireland]]
Line 30: Line 33:
| consecrated date =
| consecrated date =
| people =
| people =
|dedication = [[Saint Anne]]
| dedication = [[Saint Anne]]
| status = In use
| status = In use
| functional status =
| functional status =
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| designated date =
| designated date =
| previous cathedrals =
| previous cathedrals =
| architect = [[ Isaac Wills]]
| architect = [[Isaac Wills]]
| architectural type = [[Church (building)|Church]]
| architectural type = Church
| style = [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]]
| style = [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]], [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Neo-Romanesque]]
| years built =
| years built =
| groundbreaking = 1720
| groundbreaking = 1720
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| reader =
| reader =
| director =
| director =
| organist =Charles Marshall
| organist = Charles Marshall


| logo =
| logo =
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}}
}}


[[File:St-Anns-Church-Dublin-Morning-2012.JPG|thumb|The church is at the eastern end of Anne Street, a shopping street branching off Grafton Street.]]
[[File:St-Anns-Church-Dublin-Morning-2012.JPG|thumb|The church faces the eastern end of Anne Street, a shopping and dining street branching off Grafton Street.]]


'''St. Ann's Church, [[Dawson Street]]''', in [[Dublin]], [[Ireland]], was built in the early 18th century following the establishment of the [[Anglican]] [[parish]] in 1707. In the early 21st century the church presents itself as [[ecumenical]] within the tradition of the [[Church of Ireland]].<ref>"Christians of all traditions are welcome to participate in all services and to receive the [[sacrament]] of [[Holy Communion]]," according to the visitors pamphlet of the church; see also the church [http://www.stannschurch.ie website.]</ref>
'''St. Ann's Church''' on [[Dawson Street]] in [[Dublin]], Ireland is a [[Church of Ireland]] church, constructed originally around 1720 following the establishment of the local [[Anglican]] parish in 1707.
In the early 21st century the church presents itself as [[ecumenical]] within the tradition of the [[Church of Ireland]].<ref>"Christians of all traditions are welcome to participate in all services and to receive the [[sacrament]] of [[Holy Communion]]," according to the visitor's pamphlet of the church; see also the church [http://www.stannschurch.ie website.]</ref>


==Building history==
==Building history==
[[File:St Anns church, Dublin.png|thumb|St Anns church, an illustration of how it would have originally looked from the gentleman's magazine.]]
The building of the physical church in [[Baroque architecture|baroque style]] commenced in 1720, to a design by [[Isaac Wills]].<ref name="ArchinIreland">{{cite book|title=A Companion Guide to Irish Architecture|isbn=0-7165-2513-5|first=Jeremy|last=Williams|year=1994|page=131}}</ref> The current façade dates to the 19th century. In 1907, St. Ann's was listed with five other churches as Dublin's only church buildings surviving from the 18th century.<ref>Samuel A. Ossory Fitzpatrick, ''Dublin: A Historical and Topographical Account of the City'' (London, 1907), p. 208, where the façade is described (p. 281) as "[[Norman architecture|Norman]]."</ref><ref>http://archiseek.com/2011/1720-st-anns-church-dawson-st-dublin/</ref><ref>http://archiseek.com/2010/1868-st-annes-church-of-ireland-dawson-street-dublin/</ref>
[[File:St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street (1728).jpg|thumb|An illustration of the church taken from [[Charles Brooking's map of Dublin (1728)]].]]
[[Dawson Street]] was first laid out by [[Joshua Dawson]] around 1707-9 with [[Anne Street South|South Anne Street]] following shortly after around 1718, connecting Dawson Street directly with [[Grafton Street]]. The most prominent and visible location bookending Anne Street was chosen as the site of the new parish church terminating a vista.

The building of the church in [[Baroque architecture|baroque style]] commenced around 1720, to a design by [[Isaac Wills]].<ref name="ArchinIreland">{{cite book|title=A Companion Guide to Irish Architecture|isbn=0-7165-2513-5|first=Jeremy|last=Williams|year=1994|page=131}}</ref> It bears a resemblance to the baroque [[Church of the Gesù]] and the [[San Giacomo degli Incurabili]] in [[Rome]].

The current façade dates to 1868.<ref>Samuel A. Ossory Fitzpatrick, ''Dublin: A Historical and Topographical Account of the City'' (London, 1907), p. 208, where the façade is described (p. 281) as "[[Norman architecture|Norman]]."</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archiseek.com/2011/1720-st-anns-church-dawson-st-dublin/|title = Archiseek - Irish Architecture - 1720 - St. Ann's Church, Dawson St., Dublin|date = 26 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archiseek.com/2010/1868-st-annes-church-of-ireland-dawson-street-dublin/|title = Archiseek - Irish Architecture - 1868 - St. Ann's Church of Ireland, Dawson Street, Dublin|date = 17 February 2010}}</ref>


===Exterior and façade===
===Exterior and façade===
St. Ann's original [[façade]] was never completed above the first floor. In 1868, a competition was held for a new façade, with the architectural firm of [[Lanyon, Lynn & Lanyon]] losing the commission to the Deanes, [[Thomas Newenham Deane]] and [[Thomas Deane|his father]]. The younger Deane, who had been involved with the creation of significant buildings at [[Oxford University]], designed a [[Romanesque Revival architecture|neo-Romanesque]] front.<ref>{{cite DNBSupp|wstitle=Deane, Thomas Newenham}}</ref> Described by one travel guide as "amazingly ornate,"<ref>Margaret Greenwood ''et al.'', ''Ireland'' (Rough Guides, 2003, 7th ed.), p. 88 [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLHgtXEUfXgC&pg=PA88&dq=%22Dawson+Street%22+%22St+Ann%27s+church%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3 online.]</ref> the façade as it exists in the 21st century lacks some elements of Deane's original conception, most significantly the tallest tower; see the design [https://books.google.com/books?id=9noLgpf3FJcC&pg=PA380&dq=%22Dawson+Street%22+%22St+Ann%27s+church%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3 online] as Deane submitted it. From an architectural perspective, this omission has been criticized as disrupting the building's flow from the [[rectory]] to the [[spire]].<ref name="Archiseek">"St Anne's Church of Ireland, Dawson Street, Dublin," [http://archiseek.com/2010/1868-st-annes-church-of-ireland-dawson-street-dublin/ Archiseek.]</ref>
St. Ann's original façade was never completed above the first floor. In 1868, a competition was held for a new façade, with the architectural firm of [[Lanyon, Lynn & Lanyon]] losing the commission to the Deanes, [[Thomas Newenham Deane]] and [[Thomas Deane|his father]]. The younger Deane, who had been involved with the creation of significant buildings at [[Oxford University]], designed a [[Romanesque Revival architecture|neo-Romanesque]] front.<ref>{{cite DNBSupp|wstitle=Deane, Thomas Newenham}}</ref> Described by one travel guide as "amazingly ornate,"<ref>Margaret Greenwood ''et al.'', ''Ireland'' (Rough Guides, 2003, 7th ed.), p. 88 [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLHgtXEUfXgC&dq=%22Dawson+Street%22+%22St+Ann%27s+church%22&pg=PA88 online.]</ref> the façade as it exists in the 21st century lacks some elements of Deane's original conception, most significantly the tallest tower; the design as Deane submitted it can be viewed online. From an architectural perspective, this omission has been criticised as disrupting the building's flow from the [[rectory]] to the [[spire]].<ref name="Archiseek">"St Anne's Church of Ireland, Dawson Street, Dublin," [http://archiseek.com/2010/1868-st-annes-church-of-ireland-dawson-street-dublin/ Archiseek.]</ref>


===Interior===
===Interior===
[[File:St Ann's Dawson Street (apse).jpg|thumb|The apse, with two loaves of bread resting on the [[St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street#The Bread Shelf|Bread Shelf]] to the left of the altar]]
[[File:St Ann's Dawson Street (apse).jpg|thumb|The apse, with two loaves of bread resting on the [[St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street#The Bread Shelf|Bread Shelf]] to the left of the altar]]
The [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] interior was designed by Isaac Wills, influenced by churches built by [[Christopher Wren]] but with variations characteristic of [[Architecture of Ireland|Irish architecture]]. The church underwent a major renovation in 2009.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20091026051147/http://geocities.com/prayspot St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street.]</ref>
The [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] interior was designed by Isaac Wills, influenced by churches built by [[Christopher Wren]] but with variations characteristic of [[Architecture of Ireland|Irish architecture]]. The church underwent a major renovation in 2009.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091026051147/http://geocities.com/prayspot St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street.]</ref>


St. Ann's is noted for its [[Wood as a medium|wood carving]]. The carved [[reredos]], placed within a shallow rounded [[apse]], shares an unusual [[Decorative arts|decorative]] feature with the reredos of [[St. Mary's Church, Dublin|the former St. Mary's in Dublin]]: [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] [[pilaster]] [[column|capitals]] with twin [[acanthus (ornament)|acanthus]] [[scrollwork|scrolls]]. The acanthus [[frieze]] is carved with [[angels in art|winged angels]] and [[mitre|bishop's mitre]]; the [[Pediment#History|segmental pediment]], with [[festoon]]s of flowers. The craftsman's name is unrecorded.<ref>The [[Knight of Glin]] and James Peill, ''Irish Furniture: Woodwork and Carving in Ireland from the Earliest Times to the Act of Union'' (Yale University Press, 2007), pp. 41–42 [https://books.google.com/books?id=gL4d2gitz2oC&pg=PA42&dq=%22St+Ann%27s+church%22+intitle:%22Irish+Furniture%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=3#v=onepage&q=%22St%20Ann's%20church%22%20intitle%3A%22Irish%20Furniture%22&f=false online.]</ref>
St. Ann's is noted for its [[Wood as a medium|wood carving]]. The carved [[reredos]], placed within a shallow rounded [[apse]], shares an unusual [[Decorative arts|decorative]] feature with the reredos of [[St. Mary's Church, Dublin|the former St. Mary's in Dublin]]: [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] [[pilaster]] [[column|capitals]] with twin [[acanthus (ornament)|acanthus]] [[scrollwork|scrolls]]. The acanthus [[frieze]] is carved with [[angels in art|winged angels]] and [[mitre|bishop's mitre]]; the [[Pediment#History|segmental pediment]], with [[festoon]]s of flowers. The craftsman's name is unrecorded.<ref>The [[Knight of Glin]] and James Peill, ''Irish Furniture: Woodwork and Carving in Ireland from the Earliest Times to the Act of Union'' (Yale University Press, 2007), pp. 41–42 [https://books.google.com/books?id=gL4d2gitz2oC&dq=%22St+Ann%27s+church%22+intitle%3A%22Irish+Furniture%22&pg=PA42 online.]</ref>


====The Bread Shelf====
====The Bread Shelf====
A distinctive woodworking and [[charity (practice)|charitable]] feature of St. Ann's is the Bread Shelf. Since 1723, as a result of a [[bequest]] by [[Lord Newton of Newtown Butler]], the church has made daily [[bread]] available to anyone who chooses to receive it. The bread is placed near the [[altar]] on a shelf between acanthus-carved [[volute]]s. A photograph of the Bread Shelf may be viewed [https://www.flickr.com/photos/ballyfermot/7321919158/in/photolist-ca1Ktu-ca1Kp7-bZUoM3-bY3Ft3-bBRSAm-bvzSsR-bvzSpZ-bvzSjP-bvzSdZ-bvzS2x-bvzRYt-bvzRVr-bvzRRX-aNTRjg-aFnvPC-aFiGbp-aEQhNb-aELqNB-aELpor-aELnJX-ascC5D-ascC1D-asfgFA-aqYwUB-akUpkL-ag8AXE-9ZMFMx-9XoxDZ-9Q6oqT-9KvCMT-9EmsMj-9AqSUU-9AqSRL-9zV6MY-7xreAj-7f7zZf-9zV6Ab-9zV5Ah-9zQiPz-9yqDWa-9yev3d-9v5xGs-9v2xqR-9p8rpU-9p5nHp-9p8rfE-9p8rbS-9p8r7A-9p5ns6-9p8qVq online.]
A distinctive woodworking and charitable feature of St. Ann's is the Bread Shelf. Since 1723, as a result of a [[bequest]] by [[Lord Newton of Newtown Butler]], the church has made daily bread available to anyone who chooses to receive it. The bread is placed near the [[altar]] on a shelf between acanthus-carved [[volute]]s. A photograph of the Bread Shelf may be viewed [https://www.flickr.com/photos/ballyfermot/7321919158/in/photolist-ca1Ktu-ca1Kp7-bZUoM3-bY3Ft3-bBRSAm-bvzSsR-bvzSpZ-bvzSjP-bvzSdZ-bvzS2x-bvzRYt-bvzRVr-bvzRRX-aNTRjg-aFnvPC-aFiGbp-aEQhNb-aELqNB-aELpor-aELnJX-ascC5D-ascC1D-asfgFA-aqYwUB-akUpkL-ag8AXE-9ZMFMx-9XoxDZ-9Q6oqT-9KvCMT-9EmsMj-9AqSUU-9AqSRL-9zV6MY-7xreAj-7f7zZf-9zV6Ab-9zV5Ah-9zQiPz-9yqDWa-9yev3d-9v5xGs-9v2xqR-9p8rpU-9p5nHp-9p8rfE-9p8rbS-9p8r7A-9p5ns6-9p8qVq online.]


====Stained glass windows====
====Stained glass windows====
[[British and Irish stained glass (1811–1918)|Victorian-era stained glass]] replaced the original 18th-century clear windows. Some windows commemorate people associated with the church. Three windows in the south aisle are notable for their artistic merit; these were designed by [[Wilhelmina Geddes]]<ref name="ArchinIreland" /> of the [[An Túr Gloine]] (Tower of Glass) studio for [[stained glass|stained-glass]] artists. One on the north aisle was created by Geddes with [[Ethel Rhind]]. St. Ann's is said to contain "more stained glass than any other church in Dublin."<ref name="Archiseek"/>
[[British and Irish stained glass (1811–1918)|Victorian-era stained glass]] replaced the original 18th-century clear windows. Some windows commemorate people associated with the church. Three windows in the south aisle are notable for their artistic merit; these were designed by [[Wilhelmina Geddes]]<ref name="ArchinIreland" /> of the [[An Túr Gloine]] (Tower of Glass) studio for [[stained glass|stained-glass]] artists. One on the north aisle was created by Geddes with [[Ethel Rhind]]. St. Ann's is said to contain "more stained glass than any other church in Dublin".<ref name="Archiseek"/>


==Associated people==
===The organ===
⚫
Written sources from 1742 record a [[fundraising|subscription drive]] for the purpose of purchasing an organ for the church. The case of the modern organ, located in the west [[Balcony|gallery]] of the church, is presumed to remain from the original 18th-century instrument. William Telford built the organ in 1834. It has been renovated numerous times. In 1911, the water-powered blower was replaced with an electrical blower, and in 1925 the organ underwent a [[Tubular-pneumatic action|tubular pneumatic]] conversion with a new [[organ console|console]].<ref>Stanley Monkhouse, "The Organ of St Ann's Church, Dawson Street, Dublin," with a detailed [http://homepages.iol.ie/~rod/organ/specs/dublin/st-ann.html technical description].</ref>
⚫
[[File:Bram Stoker1.jpg|thumb|100px|''Dracula'' author [[Bram Stoker]] was married at St. Ann's.]]
⚫
[[Oscar Wilde]] was [[baptism|baptized]] within the current parish, at the former St. Mark's Church; St. Ann's now possesses the relevant records after the two parishes were merged. ''[[Dracula]]'' author [[Bram Stoker]] was married at St. Ann's (1878), as was Irish patriot [[Wolfe Tone]] (1785). [[Anthony St Leger (British Army officer)|Anthony St. Leger]], founder of the [[St. Leger Stakes|St Leger Stakes]] [[horse race]], was buried in the [[churchyard]] of St. Ann's. The [[philanthropist]] [[Thomas John Barnardo|Thomas Barnardo]] as a boy attended St. Ann's [[Sunday school]].


⚫
====List of organists at St Ann's====
⚫
The church contains memorials to the [[Alexander Knox (theologian)|Irish theologian Alexander Knox]]; English poet [[Felicia Hemans]], who lived on Dawson Street from 1831; [[Richard Whately]], the "eccentric" Anglican Archbishop of Dublin appointed 1831; and [[art collector]] and [[benefactor (law)|benefactor]] [[Hugh Lane]], who created major collections of [[modern art]] in Dublin. Sir [[Thomas Vesey, 1st Baronet|Thomas Vesey]] is also buried here, as is [[William Downes, 1st Baron Downes]], [[Lord Chief Justice of Ireland]]. The reredos commemorates thirty-two men killed in [[World War I]], and five in [[World War II]], who were from the parish.

==The organ==
⚫
Written sources from 1742 record a [[fundraising|subscription drive]] for the purpose of purchasing an [[organ (music)|organ]] for the church. The case of the modern organ, located in the west [[Balcony|gallery]] of the church, is presumed to remain from the original 18th-century instrument. [[William Telford]] built the organ in 1834. It has been renovated numerous times. In 1911, the water-powered blower was replaced with an electrical blower, and in 1925 the organ underwent a [[Tubular-pneumatic action|tubular pneumatic]] conversion with a new [[organ console|console]].<ref>Stanley Monkhouse, "The Organ of St Ann's Church, Dawson Street, Dublin," with a detailed [http://homepages.iol.ie/~rod/organ/specs/dublin/st-ann.html technical description].</ref>

⚫
===List of organists at St Ann’s===
* John McCalley (c1780-c1790)
* John McCalley (c1780-c1790)
* [[George William Torrance]] (1851-1854)
* [[George William Torrance]] (1851–1854)
* William Houghton (?-1871)
* William Houghton (?-1871)
* Dr. James C. Culwick (1871-1881)
* Dr. James C. Culwick (1871–1881)
* Arthur St. George Patton (1881-1892)
* Arthur St. George Patton (1881–1892)
* Henry Gladney Gick (1892-1918)
* Henry Gladney Gick (1892–1918)
* Sidney Lovett FRCO (1918-1919)
* Sidney Lovett FRCO (1918–1919)
* Lennox Braid (1920-1934)
* Lennox Braid (1920–1934)
* William J. Watson FRCO (1935-1987)
* William J. Watson FRCO (1935–1987)
* Mark Armstrong (1987-1989)
* Mark Armstrong (1987–1989)
* David Smith (1990-1991)
* David Smith (1990–1991)
* J. Paul Kermode (1991-1992)
* J. Paul Kermode (1991–1992)
* Graham Walsh (1992-1993)
* Graham Walsh (1992–1993)
* Hilary Dungan (1993-1995)
* Hilary Dungan (1993–1995)
* Stanley Monkhouse (1995-2003)
* Stanley Monkhouse (1995–2003)
* Peter O'Connor (2003-2004)
* Peter O'Connor (2003–2004)
* Aiden Scanlon (2004-2009)
* Aiden Scanlon (2004–2011)
* Charles Marshall (2009 – )
* Charles Marshall (2011 – )

==Associated people==
⚫
[[File:Bram Stoker1.jpg|thumb|100px|''Dracula'' author [[Bram Stoker]] was married at St. Ann's.]]
[[File:Spomen-poprsje Bramu Stokeru u Crkvi svete Ane.jpg|thumb|Bram Stoker bust inside the church]]
⚫
[[Oscar Wilde]] was [[baptism|baptised]] within the current parish, at the former St. Mark's Church; St. Ann's now possesses the relevant records after the two parishes were merged. ''[[Dracula]]'' author [[Bram Stoker]] was married at St. Ann's (1878), as was Irish patriot [[Wolfe Tone]] (1785). [[Anthony St Leger (British Army officer)|Anthony St. Leger]], founder of the [[St. Leger Stakes|St Leger Stakes]] [[horse race]], was buried in the [[churchyard]] of St. Ann's. The philanthropist [[Thomas John Barnardo|Thomas Barnardo]] as a boy attended St. Ann's [[Sunday school]].

⚫
The church contains memorials to the [[Alexander Knox (theologian)|Irish theologian Alexander Knox]]; English poet [[Felicia Hemans]], who lived on Dawson Street from 1831; [[Richard Whately]], the "eccentric" Anglican Archbishop of Dublin appointed 1831; and [[art collector]] and [[benefactor (law)|benefactor]] [[Hugh Lane]], who created major collections of [[modern art]] in Dublin. Sir [[Thomas Vesey, 1st Baronet|Thomas Vesey]] is also buried here, as is [[William Downes, 1st Baron Downes]], [[Lord Chief Justice of Ireland]]. The reredos commemorates thirty-two men killed in [[World War I]], and five in [[World War II]], who were from the parish.


==References==
==References==
Information not otherwise attributed comes from the St. Ann's Church visitors pamphlet.
Information not otherwise attributed comes from the St. Ann's Church pamphlet for visitors.
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
[[File:Sign in St Ann's Church, Dublin.jpg|thumb|Sign at entrance]]

==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* St. Ann's [http://stann.dublin.anglican.org/history/index.php history]
* St. Ann's [http://stann.dublin.anglican.org/history/index.php history]
* [http://irelandposters.com/dublin/churches.html Photo of exterior]
* [http://irelandposters.com/dublin/churches.html Photo of exterior]
* [http://archiseek.com/2010/1868-st-annes-church-of-ireland-dawson-street-dublin/ Photos of interior and exterior]
* [http://archiseek.com/2010/1868-st-annes-church-of-ireland-dawson-street-dublin/ Photos of interior and exterior]



[[Category:Church of Ireland Parishes and Churches in the Republic of Ireland|Dublin]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Ann's Church, Dawson St., Dublin}}
[[Category:Churches in Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:18th-century Church of Ireland churches]]
[[Category:Church of Ireland churches in Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Baroque architecture]]
[[Category:18th-century Church of Ireland church buildings]]
[[Category:Baroque architecture in Ireland]]

Latest revision as of 15:18, 4 December 2024

St. Ann's Church
St. Ann's Parish Church
Eaglais Naomh Áine
West facade
St. Ann's Church is located in Central Dublin
St. Ann's Church
St. Ann's Church
Location in central Dublin
53°20′27″N 6°15′28″W / 53.34094°N 6.25784°W / 53.34094; -6.25784
LocationDawson Street, Dublin 2
CountryIreland
DenominationChurch of Ireland
Websitestann.dublin.anglican.org
History
StatusIn use
DedicationSaint Anne
Architecture
Architect(s)Isaac Wills
Architectural typeChurch
StyleBaroque, Neo-Romanesque
Groundbreaking1720
Completed1866
Administration
ProvinceDublin
DioceseDublin and Glendalough
ParishDublin St Anne
Clergy
Vicar(s)Paul Arbuthnot
Laity
Organist(s)Charles Marshall
The church faces the eastern end of Anne Street, a shopping and dining street branching off Grafton Street.

St. Ann's Church on Dawson Street in Dublin, Ireland is a Church of Ireland church, constructed originally around 1720 following the establishment of the local Anglican parish in 1707.

In the early 21st century the church presents itself as ecumenical within the tradition of the Church of Ireland.[1]

Building history

[edit]
St Anns church, an illustration of how it would have originally looked from the gentleman's magazine.
An illustration of the church taken from Charles Brooking's map of Dublin (1728).

Dawson Street was first laid out by Joshua Dawson around 1707-9 with South Anne Street following shortly after around 1718, connecting Dawson Street directly with Grafton Street. The most prominent and visible location bookending Anne Street was chosen as the site of the new parish church terminating a vista.

The building of the church in baroque style commenced around 1720, to a design by Isaac Wills.[2] It bears a resemblance to the baroque Church of the Gesù and the San Giacomo degli Incurabili in Rome.

The current façade dates to 1868.[3][4][5]

Exterior and façade

[edit]

St. Ann's original façade was never completed above the first floor. In 1868, a competition was held for a new façade, with the architectural firm of Lanyon, Lynn & Lanyon losing the commission to the Deanes, Thomas Newenham Deane and his father. The younger Deane, who had been involved with the creation of significant buildings at Oxford University, designed a neo-Romanesque front.[6] Described by one travel guide as "amazingly ornate,"[7] the façade as it exists in the 21st century lacks some elements of Deane's original conception, most significantly the tallest tower; the design as Deane submitted it can be viewed online. From an architectural perspective, this omission has been criticised as disrupting the building's flow from the rectory to the spire.[8]

Interior

[edit]
The apse, with two loaves of bread resting on the Bread Shelf to the left of the altar

The Georgian interior was designed by Isaac Wills, influenced by churches built by Christopher Wren but with variations characteristic of Irish architecture. The church underwent a major renovation in 2009.[9]

St. Ann's is noted for its wood carving. The carved reredos, placed within a shallow rounded apse, shares an unusual decorative feature with the reredos of the former St. Mary's in Dublin: Corinthian pilaster capitals with twin acanthus scrolls. The acanthus frieze is carved with winged angels and bishop's mitre; the segmental pediment, with festoons of flowers. The craftsman's name is unrecorded.[10]

The Bread Shelf

[edit]

A distinctive woodworking and charitable feature of St. Ann's is the Bread Shelf. Since 1723, as a result of a bequest by Lord Newton of Newtown Butler, the church has made daily bread available to anyone who chooses to receive it. The bread is placed near the altar on a shelf between acanthus-carved volutes. A photograph of the Bread Shelf may be viewed online.

Stained glass windows

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Victorian-era stained glass replaced the original 18th-century clear windows. Some windows commemorate people associated with the church. Three windows in the south aisle are notable for their artistic merit; these were designed by Wilhelmina Geddes[2] of the An Túr Gloine (Tower of Glass) studio for stained-glass artists. One on the north aisle was created by Geddes with Ethel Rhind. St. Ann's is said to contain "more stained glass than any other church in Dublin".[8]

The organ

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Written sources from 1742 record a subscription drive for the purpose of purchasing an organ for the church. The case of the modern organ, located in the west gallery of the church, is presumed to remain from the original 18th-century instrument. William Telford built the organ in 1834. It has been renovated numerous times. In 1911, the water-powered blower was replaced with an electrical blower, and in 1925 the organ underwent a tubular pneumatic conversion with a new console.[11]

List of organists at St Ann's

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  • John McCalley (c1780-c1790)
  • George William Torrance (1851–1854)
  • William Houghton (?-1871)
  • Dr. James C. Culwick (1871–1881)
  • Arthur St. George Patton (1881–1892)
  • Henry Gladney Gick (1892–1918)
  • Sidney Lovett FRCO (1918–1919)
  • Lennox Braid (1920–1934)
  • William J. Watson FRCO (1935–1987)
  • Mark Armstrong (1987–1989)
  • David Smith (1990–1991)
  • J. Paul Kermode (1991–1992)
  • Graham Walsh (1992–1993)
  • Hilary Dungan (1993–1995)
  • Stanley Monkhouse (1995–2003)
  • Peter O'Connor (2003–2004)
  • Aiden Scanlon (2004–2011)
  • Charles Marshall (2011 – )

Associated people

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Dracula author Bram Stoker was married at St. Ann's.
Bram Stoker bust inside the church

Oscar Wilde was baptised within the current parish, at the former St. Mark's Church; St. Ann's now possesses the relevant records after the two parishes were merged. Dracula author Bram Stoker was married at St. Ann's (1878), as was Irish patriot Wolfe Tone (1785). Anthony St. Leger, founder of the St Leger Stakes horse race, was buried in the churchyard of St. Ann's. The philanthropist Thomas Barnardo as a boy attended St. Ann's Sunday school.

The church contains memorials to the Irish theologian Alexander Knox; English poet Felicia Hemans, who lived on Dawson Street from 1831; Richard Whately, the "eccentric" Anglican Archbishop of Dublin appointed 1831; and art collector and benefactor Hugh Lane, who created major collections of modern art in Dublin. Sir Thomas Vesey is also buried here, as is William Downes, 1st Baron Downes, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. The reredos commemorates thirty-two men killed in World War I, and five in World War II, who were from the parish.

References

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Information not otherwise attributed comes from the St. Ann's Church pamphlet for visitors.

  1. ^ "Christians of all traditions are welcome to participate in all services and to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion," according to the visitor's pamphlet of the church; see also the church website.
  2. ^ a b Williams, Jeremy (1994). A Companion Guide to Irish Architecture. p. 131. ISBN 0-7165-2513-5.
  3. ^ Samuel A. Ossory Fitzpatrick, Dublin: A Historical and Topographical Account of the City (London, 1907), p. 208, where the façade is described (p. 281) as "Norman."
  4. ^ "Archiseek - Irish Architecture - 1720 - St. Ann's Church, Dawson St., Dublin". 26 May 2011.
  5. ^ "Archiseek - Irish Architecture - 1868 - St. Ann's Church of Ireland, Dawson Street, Dublin". 17 February 2010.
  6. ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1901). "Deane, Thomas Newenham" . Dictionary of National Biography (1st supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  7. ^ Margaret Greenwood et al., Ireland (Rough Guides, 2003, 7th ed.), p. 88 online.
  8. ^ a b "St Anne's Church of Ireland, Dawson Street, Dublin," Archiseek.
  9. ^ St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street.
  10. ^ The Knight of Glin and James Peill, Irish Furniture: Woodwork and Carving in Ireland from the Earliest Times to the Act of Union (Yale University Press, 2007), pp. 41–42 online.
  11. ^ Stanley Monkhouse, "The Organ of St Ann's Church, Dawson Street, Dublin," with a detailed technical description.
Sign at entrance
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