St. Audoen's Church, Dublin

St Audoen's Church is the church of the parish of Saint Audoen in the Church of Ireland, located south of the River Liffey at Cornmarket in Dublin, Ireland. This was close to the centre of the medieval city. The parish is in the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough. St Audoen's is the oldest parish church in Dublin and still used as such. There is a Roman Catholic church of the same name adjacent to it.ChurchThe church is named after St Ouen (or Audoen) of Rouen (Normandy), a saint who lived in the seventh century and was dedicated to him by the Anglo-Normans, who arrived in Dublin after 1172. It was erected in 1190, possibly on the site of an older church dedicated to St. Columcille, dating to the seventh century. Shortly afterwards the nave was lengthened (but also made narrower) and a century later a chancel was added.In 1430 Henry VI, Lord of Ireland, authorised the erection of a chantry here, to be dedicated to St Anne. Its founders and successors were to be called the Guild or Fraternity of St Anne, usually called Saint Anne's Guild. Six separate altars were set up in this chapel and were in constant use, financed by the wealthier parishioners. In 1485 Sir Roland Fitz-Eustace, Earl Portlester, erected a new chapel next to the nave, in gratitude for his preservation from shipwreck near the site.