St. Mark's Church, Dublin


St. Mark's Church is Dublin Ireland based, Pentecostal church belonging to Christian Churches Ireland, the Irish branch of the Assemblies of God denomination. It was previously a Church of Ireland parish church. It is located on 42A, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, to the east of Trinity College., The church has three Sunday Services; 10am, 11:45am and 1:30pm.

The church

The church is a large building surrounded by a grassy churchyard, and was erected in 1729 off what was then Great Brunswick St.. It was consecrated by the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Charles Cobbe, on St Mark's day 1757.
The presence of the adjoining railway viaduct detracts from the beauty of the church and its setting.
St. Mark's closed in 1971. Its contents were distributed throughout the Church of Ireland, and the parish records were transferred to the Representative Church Body. After its closure the building was purchased by Trinity College, Dublin which used it occasionally for exams and lectures.
The church was purchased by the Family Worship Centre, a Pentecostal assembly, in 1987, renovated, and re-opened as a place of worship.

The parish

The parish was cut off from that of St. Andrew by Act of Parliament in 1707. It corresponded to the civil parish of the same name.

The churchyard

The church was surrounded on three sides by a churchyard which contained a large number of graves. In the 18th and early 19th centuries it was a favourite target of body snatchers, owing to its proximity to Trinity College, which taught medicine. A wall was built around the churchyard to try to prevent access. In 1892-3 the wall was removed and a railing substituted.

Parishioners

Perhaps the most celebrated person associated with St. Marks is Oscar Wilde, who was baptised in the church. Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor is a member of the congregation.