Beginnings of the parish
In 1824, two acres of
land were purchased from the Earl of Meath. Lord Brabazon, who was heir to the
Earldom of Meath, laid the foundation stone for the new church that same year.
The Gothic style
church took five years to complete and cost almost £5,000. Archbishop Murray
solemnly consecrated the church under the protection of St. Mary and St. Peter
on August 15, 1830.
Expansion
By the middle of the 19th Century the Catholic population of Dublin
had greatly increased, and this growth necessitated the enlargement of the church
in Rathmines.
Fr.
Gentili, who was a visiting missionary priest of the Order of Charity, proposed building a
new church in a similar style to churches he had observed on his travels
in Italy.
At a meeting in
December 1848, it was decided that a new church was to be built to the
Byzantine model in the form of a Greek cross. This would be the first such
construction in the Archdiocese of Dublin since Catholic Emancipation.
On August 18, 1850, the foundation stone of the new church
was laid by Archbishop Murray. Construction of the new church was completed in
1856. By this time Dublin had a new archbishop: Fr. Paul Cullen.
It was Archbishop Cullen who blessed the refurbished church
during a lavish ceremony attended by 16 bishops and almost two hundred priests.
It was also at this time that the word ‘Immaculate’ was inserted into the title
of the church.
By 1881 a magnificent portico had been built at the entrance
to the church. It was supported by the four massive pillars still standing
today.
To crown the beautiful new entrance, Fr Meagher had the
statue of ‘Our Lady of Refuge’ removed from the inside of the church and
mounted on top of the portico. The impressive statue is flanked on either side
by the statues of Saint Laurence O’Toole and Saint Patrick.
The letters D O M were then placed at the top of the portico
just below the statue of Mary. They stand for Deo Optimo Maximo. Underneath this
are the words ‘Sub Innov. Mariae - Immaculatae Refugi Peccatorum’ – ‘Dedicated
to God the Most High under the invocation of Mary Immaculate, Refuge of Sinners’.
The tragic fire of 1920
On January 26, 1920, the sacristan arrived to open the church
for the 7am Mass to discover that the switch panel was on fire. He raised the
alarm but the whole front of the altar was already engulfed in flames. The fire
spread quickly along the electricity wires and Canon Fricker was forced to
stand and watch helplessly as the church was devoured by flames.
As the raging fire consumed the church, the large dome came
crashing down, making a deafening sound that was heard for miles around. The
only parts to escape damage were the shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour
and the sacristy.
A week later a public meeting was held in the Mansion House
to discuss the rebuilding of the church. The Lord Mayor presided and those
present included the Archbishop, the Lord Chief Justice and members of Dublin
Corporation.
The architect, R.H. Byrne, was subsequently commissioned with the task of rebuilding the Church. In a short time the debris was removed and a temporary roof was erected. The walls, although badly damaged, were found to be structurally sound but the interior required considerable refurbishment.
The façade was relatively intact. The cost of repairs was
estimated at £35,000 but ultimately came to £55,000. The outstanding feature of
the reconstructed church was the large copper dome. It replaced the previous one,
which was completely destroyed in the fire.
This new dome was built in Glasgow and had been destined for
a Russian orthodox church in St. Petersburg. However, the political and social
due to the Bolshevik revolution in 1917 saw it diverted to Dublin.
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