St. John the Baptist and St. Augustine (familiarly known as St John's Lane Church), Dublin, Ireland, by Edward Welby Pugin (1834-1875) and George Coppinger Ashlin (1837-1921)

St. John the Baptist and St Augustine (familiarly known as John's Lane Church), Dublin, Ireland

Spire, St. John the Baptist and St Augustine

Edward Welby Pugin (1834-1875) and George Coppinger Ashlin (1837-1921).

1862-1874 (but not fully completed until 1895)

red sandstone and granite

Thomas Street (on the corner of John's Lane)

Dublin, Ireland

The church is familiarly known as John's Lane Church.

Other Views

Whole church

Skyline view of the church, from the side

Photograph and text 2009 by Jacqueline Banerjee.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL.]

Built on the site of the old St John's monastery, this church has a narrow frontage, but still catches the eye because of its very tall pointed entrance portal and its "distinctive Flemish chisel-shaped spire"; the bell-tower is decorated with figures of the apostles by James Pearce (Casey 58). At 223' high the spire stands the tallest in Dublin, making it a city landmark. The church is equally impressive inside, with its "tall, profusely decorated French-style interior," its apsidal chancel (which took three decades to complete), its very beautiful stained glass windows (for example, the great windows over the entrance and the apse are both by Mayers of Munich, see "John's Lane Church, Dublin: Stained Glass Windows"), its rich mosaics and especially perhaps its "wonderfully pinnacled reredos" by Edmund Sharp (Casey 62).

References

"John's Lane Church, Dublin: Stained Glass Windows." The church website (see "Our Photos" for images of the interior, including the reredos). Viewed 23 July 2009.

Casey, Christine. The Buildings of Ireland: Dublin. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005.

Last modified 23 July 2009