The cathedral the largest church at Clonmacnoise has been known by several names-The church of kings, Mac Dermott's Church, the great stone church and the Great Church or Temple Mor in Gaelic. In the 10th century Clonmacnoise was under the patronage of Flann, the High King of Ireland, whose mother is buried in Clonmacnoise. Flann and his close friend Colman, who was Abbot of Clonmacnoise and Clonardundertook the work of building the cathedral in the year 909. History records say it was burned by the Norsemen on Good Friday in 985. It was again burned in 1020 and escaped another major fire which happened in 1070. The passing years and the damage caused took their toll and Cormac the grandson of Conn na Bocht, undertook the building of the presant church. It was then completed by Flaithbertach O'Loingsig who was Abbot from 1100 to 1109. In 1129, the Vikings from Limerick made on of their attacks on the monastic site and took away several precious objects owned by the monks. The Cathedral is 62 feet long and is 28 feet wide. It had a sacristy about 20 feet square adjoining the chancel on the south side. the sacristy was lit by two small windows and a small pointed doorway gave access to it. It also had, customery in those times, an overhead room fitted out as a dwelling place. The cathedral chancel seems to have been added some time after the main buildingwas completed.Three rows of columns divided it into parallel lines, but little of this is to be seen. there is a piscina left of the sacristy door and a plain sedilia or seat for three clerics. But part of this was removed, possible when the chancel was added. In the north east corner of the chancel the last high king of Ireland, Rory o'Connor, was buried in 1198. his father, Turloch, had been buried in the opposite corner in 1156. The west doorway is romanesque in style. Note the north doorway is Gothic in style and is attributed to Odo who was Dean of Clonmacnoise until his death in 1461. Above the arch three carved figures depicting St. Dominic, St. Patrick and St. Francis. A final attempt to restore the cathedral was made in 1647 by Charles Coghlan who was the Vicar General of Clonmacnoise. As a reward the title Coghlan's Church was sometimes applied to the building. But Cromwell's forces merely repeated history.