John's Lane Church

John's Lane Church opened in 1874 on the site of St. John's Hospital (founded c. 1180). It is located on Thomas Street, Dublin, close to the centre of the medieval city, and is served by the Augustinian Order.HistoryThe original hospital on the site was constructed by Aelred the Palmer, a Norman living in Dublin, after a home-coming from an pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He founded a monastery of Crossed Friars under the Rule of St. Augustine who would also manage a hospital close-by, the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. The monastery was dedicated to St. John the Baptist and stood just outside the city walls, and so was known as St. John's church without Newgate.In 1316 Edward Bruce marched towards Dublin at the head of his army, with the intention of besieging the city. The Dublin citizens, to prevent any danger from his approach, by common consent set fire to Thomas Street, but the flames laid hold of St. John's church and burned it to the ground, together with all the nearby suburbs.About the commencement of the 18th century an Augustinian Prior rented for their use as a chapel a stable on the western side of St. John's Tower, a surviving fragment of the Hospital. About 1740, on the site of part of the Hospital, was erected a small church 60ft by 24ft, which was considerably extended 40 years later.In 1860 it was decided to build a new church. The architect was Edward Welby Pugin, whose father was Augustus Welby Pugin, and assisted by his Irish partner and brother-in-law George C. Ashlin a native of Cork.