The Church of Christ the King, Cortown (Cortown Parish)
Ancient faith in the Cortown area: St. Baoithín and local devotion
Cortown is associated in local tradition with an ancient church dedicated to St. Baoithín and a nearby holy well. Accounts referencing John O’Donovan describe the ruins of the old church in Cortown townland and place the saint’s well to the southwest, with local tradition also linking a nearby hill (Cnocán Baoithín) to preaching and baptising. ihwcbc.omeka.net
This devotion remains part of the area’s identity today—for example, Cortown GAA (founded in 1969) named its pitch Páirc Naomh Baoithín, opened in 1981. ihwcbc.omeka.net
Cortown in the wider parish arrangement
Nineteenth-century descriptions of the area record that the local Roman Catholic chapel arrangement was historically connected with Bohermeen and Boyerstown (in the parish arrangement linked to Ardbraccan), highlighting a long pattern of shared pastoral life across these communities. Navan & District Historical Society
The church building and local materials
A notable piece of local architectural detail comes from a study of Ardbraccan stone: it records that the parish church in Cortown incorporated stone from Summerhill House along with freshly cut Ardbraccan stone during renovations carried out in the late 1940s and early 1950s. search.igsjournal.ie
This kind of “local stone” story matters: it ties the church not only to faith and worship, but also to the craft, labour, and heritage of the wider Meath landscape.
Christ the King — the title and what it means
The dedication “Christ the King” expresses a simple but powerful Christian belief: that Christ reigns not through force, but through truth, service, mercy, and love. The church is a place where that belief is expressed in prayer, the sacraments, and the shared life of the community.
If you can help build this page
Cortown has a rich story that deserves careful recording. If you have information on the date of construction of the present church, details of past renovations, photographs, or stories connected to St. Baoithín’s traditions in the area, please share them with the parish office so this page can be expanded accurately over time.