St Peter's Church
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Windsocker
N 53° 42.901 W 006° 21.145
29U E 674712 N 5955069
St. Peter's R.C. Church in West Street is world famous for housing the shrine of St Oliver Plunkett.
Waymark Code: WM32KA
Location: Ireland
Date Posted: 01/30/2008
Views: 38
The first Church on the site was built in 1791 to a design by Francis Johnston and the present church incorporates part of that buiding and which was opened in 1884. The facade is an imposing structure in the Gothic style, built of local limestone.
St. Oliver Plunkett, was born at Loughcrew near Oldcastle , Co Meath and trained for the priesthood abroad , being ordained in 1654 and becoming Archbishop Of Armagh in 1669. He spent a lot of time in Drogheda and is credited with bringing the Jesuits to town and opening a number of schools .Because of the Penal Laws , Catholics were not allowed practice their religion openly but Plunkett managed to defy them for a period but later he had to go into hiding, travelling only in disguise. . He was arrested in Dublin in 1679 and found guilty of high treason and on 11th July 1681, and having spent some time in Newgate Prison he was taken to Tyburn ( now Marble Arch) and hanged , drawn and quartered . He was declared a saint by Pope Paul VI in 1973. His preserved head forms the cenrtrepiece of the shrine in St Peters Church . Many schools , churches and other building in Ireland and overseas are dedicated to the Saint .
Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 06/06/1791
Age of Church building determined by?: Historical Society
If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Catholic
If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: From: 9:00 AM To: 8:00 PM
If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday
Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 10:00 AM
Street address of Church:
West Street
Drogheda, Co Louth Ireland
n/a
Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]
Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed
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