Diocesan News
St Mark's Newtownards restored
Friday 24th April 2009, the Eve of St Mark's Day, saw one of the most momentous events in the history of the Parish of Newtownards as the Church of St Mark was rededicated by the Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Right Reverend Harold Miller.
The service of rededication and thanksgiving marked the culmination of over four years of work on a massive project which included the refurbishment of much of the façade of the original church and the building of a new Parish Centre.
The scheme, costing in excess of £2m, has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Environment and Heritage Service and the RCB Fabric Fund, as well as from the generosity of Parishioners. The work was undertaken to ensure that the stonework on the South façade, which was originally constructed in 1817, was made safe for public use.
The preacher at the service, a Patronal Eucharist for St Mark's Eve, was the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Reverend Alan Harper, and clergy from the local Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches led the prayers. Many clergy formerly associated with St Marks were also in attendance and the rector, Revd Canon Ken Smyth, paid tribute to the generations who had gone before on whose shoulders we build literally and figuratively for tomorrow. Fittingly, the first to receive Holy Communion were candidates who had been confirmed by the Bishop at a service in Movilla Abbey Church the previous Sunday.
History
Almost 1500 years ago in 540, one of the earliest Christian settlements in Ireland was founded by St Finnian at Movilla. Local tradition claims that St Columba attended the abbey as a student. While there is little trace of the first abbey which was destroyed when the Vikings invaded and plundered the area in the 9th Century, it has continued to be a place of pilgrimage for succeeding generations.
In 1244, the Dominicans visited the area and built a priory. Each year within the remains of that priory in Court Street, present day parishioners meet on or near St Columba's Day in June. On that site, the small Church of Ireland community worshipped in the 18th Century. However, the building was insufficient to meet the needs of a growing population.
In 1817, St Mark's Parish Church was built. Forty years later, the north aisle was added, increasing seating capacity to over 650 people. In 1992 extensive repairs were carried out, and some changes made to the interior of the parish church, including the creation of St Columba's Chapel.
The south façade is an outstanding example of Strawberry Hill Gothic architecture. Much of the restoration work in the past four years has concentrated on this area of the church, which contains rare examples of medieval stained glass.
For infromation on St Mark's Newtownards, please click here