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Last Mass at Dominican Church by the Dominican Order

21st Nov. 2022 – From Jason Murphy

 

I Attended the last Mass by the Dominicans in St Saviours, Bridge Street this morning . After 800 years serving the people of Waterford through good times and bad the order took their leave today to emotional scenes .

 

I've included a history of the Order in Waterford below ..

 

The Dominicans were founded by St Dominic in 1215. They were established to teach and to preach the Gospel which meant that they were in the forefront of the intellectual life of the Middle Ages. Because of the black cloak they wore they were known as Blackfriars.

 

Following the Anglo-Norman invasion, the Waterford city defences were upgraded. The old Viking-Age city wall which ran from the river towards Lady Lane along the east side of the present-day Arundel Square was demolished and a new wall was built a few hundred metres to the west, running along the edge of present-day Barronstrand Street. This new area enclosed would have been prime retail space, especially the section that fronted on to the river Suir. In order to avoid disputes between the prominent merchant families of the city, all of whom would have wanted to control this site, it was offered to the Dominicans, and they established their priory here in 1236, dedicated to Our Blessed Saviour and it became known as St Saviours.

 

One of the most famous Waterford Dominicans was Jofroi of Waterford. He was a noted medieval scholar and translated many works into French from Latin and Greek. He also produced a work on wine tasting!

 

The Dominican Priory was suppressed in 1540 by King Henry VIII and was later used as a courthouse. In later years the building fell into ruin and all that remains now is part of the church and tower. The original bell and bell tongue from Blackfriars are now on display at Waterford Treasures Medieval Museum.

 

In spite of the closure of the priory at Blackfriars, for the next 250 years Dominicans continued to work in Waterford.

 

In the 1690s there were five members of the order in the city and Father John Coghlan was Prior.

 

Throughout the 18th century the Dominicans maintained a presence inWaterford. In 1784 Father Anthony Duan obtained a lease of a house and premises in Thomas Street.

 

The formal re-establishment of the Order took place in 1867. In 1872 Father Mullins was appointed Prior and he obtained the site of the present-day St Saviours church on O’Connell Street / Bridge Street.

 

The foundation stone of the new church was laid in 1874 and the nave and aisles were opened in December 1876, and the building fully completed in 1878. The building work was carried out by James Ryan of Waterford.

In the church is preserved a small medieval statue of Our Lady with the Divine Child; this is of oak, about a foot high, and highly ornamented. It is said to have belonged to the old Dominican Priory of Waterford and later brought to Limerick. At the restoration of the Order here the statue was returned to Waterford.

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