View source for Church of St. Nicholas Within Dublin

{{Short description|Former church in Dublin, Ireland}}
{{coord|53|20|33.25|N|6|16|17.54|W|display=title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=February 2022}}
{{Distinguish|Church of St Nicholas Without, Dublin}}
{{Infobox church
| name               = St. Nicholas Within
| full_name          = 
| image              = St-nicholas-within-dublin-1786.jpg
| image_size         = 200px
| landscape          = 
| pushpin_map        = 
| caption            = The church in 1786
| location           = Nicholas St./Christ Church Place, [[Dublin]]
| country            = [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
| denomination       = [[Church of Ireland]]
| churchmanship      = 
| website            = 
| former_name        = St. Nicholas
| founded            = 
| founder            = Bishop Donat
| dedication         = [[Saint Nicholas of Myra]]
| dedicated          = 11th century
| consecrated        = 
| events             = 
| status             = 
| functional_status  = 
| heritage_designation = 
| designated         = 
| architect          = 
| architectural_type = 
| style              = 
| groundbreaking     = 
| completed          = Rebuilt 1707
| construction_cost  = 
| closed             = 1867
| demolished         = 
| capacity           = 
| length             = 
| width              = 
| height             = 
| materials          = 
| parish             = St. Nicholas Within
| deanery            = 
| archdeaconry       = 
| diocese            = 
| province           = 
}}
'''St. Nicholas Within''' is a former [[Church of Ireland]] parish church in [[Dublin]] city, [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. It was located at the corner of Nicholas Street and [[Christchurch Place]], where part of its entrance may be seen next to the [[Peace Park, Dublin|Peace Park]] although this structure was disassembled and rebuilt approximately 10-15 metres back from its original location in 1911 as part of road widening works.<ref>{{cite web |title=Church of Saint Nicholas Within, Nicholas Street, Christchurch Place, Dublin 8, DUBLIN |url=https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/50080534/church-of-saint-nicholas-within-nicholas-street-christchurch-place-dublin-8-dublin |website=Buildings of Ireland |access-date=11 August 2025}}</ref>

The term may also refer to the [[civil parish]] in the [[Barony (Ireland)|barony]] of Dublin City which was one of nine and a half baronies in the old [[County Dublin]].<ref>[http://www.logainm.ie/Viewer.aspx?text=St.+Nicholas&listText=St.+Nicholas+Within Placenames Database of Ireland: St. Nicholas Within.]</ref>

==The church==
[[File:Church of St Nicholas Within, Dublin.jpg|thumb|Church of St Nicholas Within, Dublin]]
[[File:Church of St Nicholas Within.jpg|thumb|The remains of the church circa 1900.]]
The original church was built in the 11th century by [[Dúnán|Bishop Donat]] and was dedicated to [[Saint Nicholas of Myra]], the patron saint of sailors. It received its name during the episcopate of [[Alexander de Bicknor]] (1317–1349), when the parish of St. Nicholas was extended outside the city so as to include the [[Manor of St. Sepulchre]] and the [[Deanery of St Patrick]]. The parish was divided into two parts: St. Nicholas Within the Walls and [[Church of St. Nicholas Without, Dublin|St. Nicholas Without]].{{sfn|Wright|1825|loc=Churches}}

The church fell into disrepair in the 17th century, and was rebuilt in 1707. By 1835 it was again having problems, and it was unroofed, although a chapel in the church, St. Mary's, continued to be used until 1847. It was planned to demolish the church and build a new one. However, this was never done, and the parish united with that of [[St. Audoen's Church, Dublin (Church of Ireland)|St. Audoen]] in 1867.{{sfn|Wright|1825|loc=Churches}}

==The parish==
The parish is mentioned in Pope [[Celestine III]]'s Bull of 1191, listing prebends.{{sfn|Bernard|1903|pp=8,66}} The parish was the smallest parish in Dublin, measuring {{convert|5|acre|m2}}, 11 perches. At the time of its unification with St. Audoen's the population of the parish was 1,838, of which only 184 belonged to the established (i.e., [[Church of Ireland]]) church.{{sfn|Bennett|1992|p=193}} The parish corresponded to the civil parish of the same name.

==The cemetery==
The greater part of the graveyard was taken over by Dublin Corporation when building the [[The Tholsel, Dublin|Tholsel]] nearby. All that remained was a passage to the vaults. The names of those interred are available in the parish registers.{{sfn|Wright|1825|loc=Churches}}

*[[Nathaniel Catelyn]], Speaker of the [[Irish House of Commons]], was buried here in April 1637.
*[[Alexander Montgomery (1686–1729)|Alexander Montgomery]] (1686–1729), soldier and politician from [[County Donegal]], was buried here on 22 December 1729.{{sfn|Nichols|1853|p=529}}
*[[Sir Robert Doyne]] (1651-1733), former [[Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas]], was buried here in  1733.

==Chantry of St. Mary==
[[File:St._Nicholas_Within,_Nicholas_Street.JPG|thumb|Remains of the entrance to the church.]]
In 1469, King [[Edward IV of England]] gave [[John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester]] permission to found a [[chantry]] in honour of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary and to have masses said for the benefit of the founders and all the departed. It was established in St. Nicholas Within in the chapel of St. Mary and was under the authority of the Provincial of the [[Augustinians|Augustinian Friars]] of England.

After the [[dissolution of the monasteries]], chantries in parish churches in England were abolished, but no act was passed to abolish them in Ireland; some continued to function according to the use of the Church of Ireland. In this way, the chantry of St. Mary continued to function, as a [[sinecure]], until 1882.{{sfn|Bennett|1992|p=197}}

Some years earlier the [[Parliament of Ireland]] had given [[Edward Somerton]] — justice of the [[Court of King's Bench (Ireland)]] — permission to found another chantry in St. Nicholas.

==Notable parishioners==
During the [[Interregnum (Ireland)|Interregnum]] (1650s), [[Daniel Hutchinson]], [[Thomas Hooke (mayor)|Thomas Hooke]], [[John Preston (Mayor)|John Preston]] and [[Richard Tighe (Mayor)|Richard Tighe]], all served as alderman, were all [[Mayor of Dublin|Mayors of Dublin]], and all worshipped at Dr [[Samuel Winter|Samuel Winter's]] [[independent (religion)|independent]] congregation meeting at the Church of St. Nicholas Within. (Hooke like Hutchinson was an elder of the church.){{sfn|Barnard|2000|pp=81–83}}

[[Jonathan Edwards (archdeacon)|Jonathan Edwards]] (1615–1681), from [[Denbighshire]], [[Wales]] became curate at this church in 1661. He went on to become Archdeacon of [[Derry]].{{sfn|Reynell|1897|p={{page needed|date=September 2013}} }}

==See also==
* [[The Tholsel, Dublin]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{Commons category}}

==References==
* {{Citation |last=Bernard |first=John Henry |year=1903
|title=The cathedral church of Saint Patrick; a history & description of the building, with a short account of the deans |volume=3 |location=London |publisher= G. Bell |pages=8, 66 | url=https://archive.org/details/cathedralchurch00berngoog}}
*{{Citation|last=Barnard |first=Toby Christopher |year=2000 |chapter=Government of the boroughs:v. Dublin |title=Cromwellian Ireland: English Government and Reform in Ireland 1649–1660 |edition=reprint |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780198208570|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nw9cY4Sqg3QC&pg=PA77 |pages=77–89}}
*{{Citation |last=Bennett |first=Douglas |year=1992 |title=Encyclopedia of Dublin}}
*{{Citation| editor-last=Nichols |editor-first=John Gough |editor-link=John Gough Nichols |title=The Topographer and Genealogist |volume=II |location=London |publisher=John Bowyer Nichols and Sons |year=1853 |chapter=Parish Registers of St.Nicholas |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=EKhWAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA520 520]&ndash;521}}
*{{Citation  |last=Reynell |first=William Alexander |date=October 1897 |title=The Estate of the Diocese of Derry: Part IX. Archdeacons of Derry |journal=Ulster Journal of Archaeology |volume=IV  |issue=1  |pages=56–64|jstor=20563764 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-l0NAAAAYAAJ}}
*{{Citation |last=Wright |first=George Newenham |authorlink=George Newenham Wright |year=1825 |chapter=Chapter 10: Churches |title=An Historical Guide to the City of Dublin, Illustrated by engravings, and a plan of the city |edition=Second, with corrections and additional articles |location=London |publisher=Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy |accessdate=2008-11-02 |chapter-url=http://www.chaptersofdublin.com/books/Wright/wright10.htm  |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031094153/http://www.chaptersofdublin.com/books/Wright/wright10.htm |archivedate=31 October 2007}}

==Further reading==
*{{Citation |last=Craig |first= Maurice |year=1969 |title=Dublin: 1660-1860 |location=Dublin |publisher=Allen Figgis}}
*{{Citation |last=Gilbert |first=John |year=1854 |title=A History of the City of Dublin |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Nicholas Within, Church of (Dublin)}}
[[Category:Former churches in Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Church of Ireland churches in Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Dublin (city)]]