St. John the Baptist Catholic Church ( not to be confused with the St. John the Evangelist Protestant Church on the opposite side of the center) was built in 1854, on the site of another church built in 1623. Completed in 1861, and serving the diocese of Kerry, St. John’s backs up to the Rose Garden in Tralee’s Town Park. Its impressive steeple is 200 feet tall.
Within this 19th century Gothic Revival structure is the Denny family bible, dating back to the time of Sir Edward Denny in 1639. Perhaps THE outstanding feature in St. John’s is the 1861 “Great Sanctuary (stainedglass ) Window.” Created by Michael O’Connor, it is ranked amongst the finest of its example in Western Europe. In the lower portion of the window, its 14 panels depict Christ, John the Baptist, and the twelve apostles. A unique feature of this portion of the window is that all the apostles are named and given an identifying symbol, unique to each one ( presumably so the illiterate of the time could recognize them).
Following a ten year renovation project, the church took on its present configuration in 1960. It is a dominant landmark within the town, with its steeple being visible from most neighborhoods.
Within this 19th century Gothic Revival structure is the Denny family bible, dating back to the time of Sir Edward Denny in 1639. Perhaps THE outstanding feature in St. John’s is the 1861 “Great Sanctuary (stainedglass ) Window.” Created by Michael O’Connor, it is ranked amongst the finest of its example in Western Europe. In the lower portion of the window, its 14 panels depict Christ, John the Baptist, and the twelve apostles. A unique feature of this portion of the window is that all the apostles are named and given an identifying symbol, unique to each one ( presumably so the illiterate of the time could recognize them).
Following a ten year renovation project, the church took on its present configuration in 1960. It is a dominant landmark within the town, with its steeple being visible from most neighborhoods.
As a Gothic Revival piece of architecture , St. John the Baptist Church serves the diocese of Kerry.
One of the prettiest scenes we observed in Tralee was this one of the church from the town’s Rose Garden.
St. John the Baptist church looks quite different in this 1890 photo.
While this current structure is only 165 years old (relatively young for a European Church), it still is impressive.
The statuary and the stained glass windows are stunning.
Amongst the finest of its style in Western Europe, the “Great Sanctuary Window” is the most impressive of the church’s windows.
One of the church’s most important artifacts is this 1639 Denny Family bible...
Sir Edward Denny, one time governor of County Kerry and nephew of Queen Elizabeth I, was one of the more prominent members of the Denny family. He was responsible for the landscaping of what was to become Tralee’s Town Park.
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