The grounds include part of a 12th-century Romanesque church which was demolished in 1812 to make way for the construction of the current church. Only the western gable of the original church remains, including a bell-cot which was added at a later date. Stones and material from the original church were used for the new building.[2][1][3] The original church is registered as National Monument number 126.[4]
Original 12th century Romanesque St. Cronan's Church
Current church design
The modern church was designed by local architect James Sheane, whose name is inscribed on a datestone in the tower and who was buried in the churchyard upon his death in 1816.[5] A porch was later added by John Bowden. The church was restored in 1879 by Thomas Newenham Deane.[6] The original construction was funded by the Board of First Fruits with a gift of £100 and a loan of £775.[7]
It is a detached, single-cell, gable-fronted church. The pitched roof is covered with artificial slate. There are 5 bays on each side of the nave which features Gothic pointed-arch stained glass windows, with a vestry to the south east, and a porch and 4-stage bell tower to the south west. The string coursedsandstone walls and tower feature crenellation and pinnacles, as well as diagonal buttresses and pinnacles on the porch. The pointed-arch main doorway holds a timber batteneddouble-leaf door.[2]
Preservation
The church has been renovated several times, including a large renovation in the 1960s when the slate roof was replaced, the interior was redecorated, and the graveyard was deforested.[citation needed]
Its most notable historical artefact is a 17th-century pre-Reformation silver chalice decorated with raised angelic figures. The chalice may have been used at a wedding as the letters S.C. M.P., thought to be the initials of the couple, are inscribed on the base.[8]
^Farrelly, Jean; Caimin O'Brien (2002). Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary: Vol. I – North Tipperary. Dublin: Stationery Office. p. 240. ISBN0-7557-1264-1.
