St Fin Barre’s turreted, spired and decorated cathedral is one of Cork’s most important buildings. Victorian Gothic in style, it was completed and consecrated in 1870. The architect was William Burges, who despite having won a competition to build the cathedral for £15,000, went massively over budget, with the final building costing £100,000. A highly decorated interior of Bath stone and Cork marble, elaborate stone carvings inside and art, marble mosaics from the Pyrenees and twin spires are evidence of money spent.