A chance visit to a
parish church in the Loughboy area of Kilkenny City provided an interesting
insight for me into church layout and symbolism. The church of St Fiacre is
located beside a busy shopping area and access road on the outskirts of the
city in the parish of StPatrick’s. The church building is in what might be styled avant-garde
design typical of many Catholic churches constructed in the 1970-1980s. It
appears, from online sources, that this church was opened around 1991. It is arranged in a theatre or fan style with
the focus on the light coming from the
sanctuary area. The sanctuary area feels
very open and accessible with minimal clutter. Still, some important and holy
things are kept there including the Altar, an imposing and very large wooden cross,
the Tabernacle, the lectern, the presider’s chair, the baptism font and, unusually,
a box (or Ambry) containing three types of holy oil:
