John Hogan - Irish Sculptor - contribution by Eva Curran and Anna Bright

Mother Teresa Ball had long dreamt about a beautiful chapel on the grounds of Rathfarnham Abbey. Not only would it honour God but it would provide a peaceful sanctuary for the sisters and pupils of the convent.

John Hogan, born on October 14, 1800, hailed from Tallow, County Waterford in Ireland. Regarded by many accounts as the most eminent sculptor in Ireland, as per the Dictionary of Irish Biography, he played a pivotal role in creating numerous noteworthy religious sculptures across Ireland throughout the 19th century. Operating mainly out of Rome, some of his most renowned creations include three different models of The Dead Christ, which were commissioned for churches located in Dublin, Cork, and the Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Newfoundland, Canada.

John Hogan received £100 from Mother Teresa Ball in 1843 for a sculpture of The Pieta relief in marble for the high altar in the new church. A relief is any work in which the figures project from a supporting background, usually a plane surface. Mr. Hogan also sculpted two angels for either side of the altar and these were based on his two daughters Margaret and Mary, who later attended the school there. Another daughter named Elizabeth, years later, became Mother Superior of The Abbey.

Photos from the book John Hogan, Irish neoclassical Sculptor in Rome, p84 and p86