St. Finbarr's South Church

About

St. Finbarr's South, also known as the South Chapel, is an 18th century church in Cork in Ireland. Constructed in 1766 as the "first Catholic church built in Cork since before the Reformation", the Penal-era church was deliberately built to be relatively unimposing.

It is the oldest Catholic church still in use in Cork city, and is the parish church of St Finbarr's South parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cork and Ross. The church is included in the Record of Protected Structures maintained by Cork City Council. Built of local limestone and red sandstone, the church was commissioned by the then parish priest, Daniel Albert O'Brien, to replace an existing thatched building.

O'Brien, who had been appointed as parish priest and vicar general in 1760 by the then Bishop of Cork, Richard Walsh, was a member of the Dominican Order. O'Brien was succeeded as parish priest, in 1774, by Francis Moylan (later Bishop of Cork). Originally built to an "L" shape, the church was extended and an additional transept was added in 1809.

The main altar holds a statue, known as The Dead Christ, which was sculpted by John Hogan (1800–1858). A painting of the crucifixion, behind the altar, is attributed...