Part of the Kilgarrife Union of Parishes in the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the church is known for its intricate mosaics.

[2] On 21 August 1802, the Bishop ordered the church to be torn down, as it had become unsafe due to age and decay.

[6] On 15 December 1832, Rev Charles Ferguson, the vicar of the church, was murdered in a field near Bandon.

[9][4] Bishop John Gregg refused to consecrate the new chancel, due to what he called a "graven" representation of the Crucifixion in the stained glass east window.

Above the door of the church, there is painting portraying the Ascension of Jesus, in which the Apostles are present along with a panorama of Jerusalem.

Further mosaics on the side walls of the church depicting these events were commissioned by Robert Augustus in honour of his son.

[1] The second set of mosaics, dedicated to Surgeon-General Alymer Martin Crofts, were added to the church between 1918 and 1925.

While there, he was a tutor, mentor, and friend to the Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia of Gwalior, India, who financed the mosaics in the church in Crofts' honour.