St. John’s – Wexford Camino
St. John's
The church which once stood here was dedicated to St John the Baptist. The patron was held every year on 23ʳᵈ June, the eve of the feast of St. John.
For a time it was the principal church of the Order of St. John’s Hospitallers in Ireland The St Johns’ Hospitallers were founded in 1023 in Jerusalem to care for pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land.
Their first hospital was on the site of the grave of John the Baptist. The church here was granted to the order by William Marshall in the early part of the 13th century. It was the only medieval church in Wexford to have a spire.
It was demolished in 1650 and the stones were taken away to repair Wexford castle. The graveyard (mainly used by Catholics), continued to be used until the opening of Crosstown Cemetery on the other side of Wexford Harbour. The Talbot family mausoleum contains the remains of John Edward Redmond MP leader of the Irish Party who died on 6ᵗʰ March 1918.
In this graveyard there is part of a medieval sarcophagus standing upright to mark another grave.
Prayer
O God, you raised up St. John the Baptist to prepare a perfect person for Christ. We call upon St. John’s intercession to properly prepare us with a true sense of repentance to receive Your grace and salvation. Make us faithful to truth and justice, as You did Your servant, John the Baptist, herald of Your Son’s birth and death. Lord, may You increase Your life within us. Amen.
