Killaloe Cathedral

Killaloe Cathedral dates from the transition between the Romanesque and Gothic periods and was completed in 1225. The front is decorated with arabesque ornaments. On the north side of the cathedral is a small oratory or chapel (8.78 X 5.33 m (28ft 9 in X 17ft 6 in) of a date earlier than the cathedral; and probably the original sanctuary of the holy man who founded the abbey (Saint Molua (d. c 609)). Its roof is very deep, and made entirely of stone; it has a belfry, and two doorways to the east and west. In the bell tower is a chime of eight bells cast by Matthew O'Byrne of Dublin in 1896. The heaviest bell weighs just over 500 kilograms. ==Recent restoration==

A £200,000 restoration project involving the repair of a Romanesque doorway and the reconstruction of a 12th-century high cross, was completed in 2001. The Kilfenora Cross, embedded in the walls of the Gothic cathedral in the 1930s, is once again free-standing. The imposing 12-ft monument is now in the nave of the building. ==Burials==

• John Rider (bishop) ==Gallery==

File:KillaloeCathedralRomanesqueDoorway.jpg|Romanesque doorway File:KillaloeCathedralHighCross.jpg|Killaloe High Cross File:Killaloe Stone with Ogham and runic inscriptiion - Killaloe-Stein mit Ogham- und Runeninschrift.jpg|Killaloe Stone - front view with runic inscription File:Killaloe Stone with Ogham and runic inscription - Killaloe-Stein mit Ogham- und Runeninschrift 02.jpg|Killaloe Stone - side view with Ogham inscription ==See also==