Architectural Dublin / 18th Century / The Rotunda Hospital / Interior

Architect: Richard Cassels
Interior Access Visiting Hours Only

The most important features of the hospital interiors are the public rooms, the staircase and the chapel at the heart of the complex. The public rooms are designed as a processional route through the hospital to the main public room - the chapel. While these room are elegant, with beautiful plasterwork by Robert West, they are as nothing in comparison with the chapel.

The chapel is a rococo vision of gilt plasterwork and decoration by Bartholemew Cramillion - a german stuccodore. The original intention was to supplement the plasterwork with paintings by the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Capriani which were never installed. This is all to the better of the interior as the empty spaces act as a foil to the decorative plasterwork.

The decorative scheme is based on a line from Corinthians - 'And now abides Faith, Hope, Charity, these three; but the greatest of these is Charity'. Accordingly in the coved ceiling there are alcoves in which sit figures symbolising the virtues, surrounded by cherubs and angels. As one of the primary uses of the chapel was the raising of money, accommodation was maximised by placing a balcony on corinthian columns around three sides of the chapel.