St Patrick's Cathedral

The Saint Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Church of Ireland. It is located on an ancient site of worship in the southern quarters of Dublin's old town.

History

The building is located on a spring, where Patrick of Ireland baptized his faithful.

However, it was completely rebuilt, so nothing remains of the original buildings. The origins of the cathedral date back to the fifth century. The Normans replaced it with a stone construction in 1191. The building that we see today dates from the thirteenth century except for the west tower, rebuilt by Archbishop Minot in 1370 following a fire and the spire built in 1749.

In 1310, the Templars' trial arrested in Ireland took place there under the leadership of the Bishop of Kildare, the seat of the Archbishop of Dublin being vacant at that time.

In 1666, the chapter of the cathedral offered the chapel of the Virgin to the community of French Protestants Huguenots who had taken refuge in Ireland. Their installation is facilitated by the kings of England and the viceroy of Ireland, James Butler (1st Duke of Ormonde), who want to promote the fabric industry, trade, and Protestant subjects' loyalty in Catholic land. Until 1816, a service was celebrated every Sunday in French by a Huguenot pastor. The Huguenot cemetery in Dublin is home to this community's burials and the Calvinist temples of Peter Street and Lucas Lane.

The most famous of its deans was, between 1713 and 1745, the writer Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, which is also buried there. In the north, transept are exposed: the author's death mask, his mobile pulpit, and various personal items1.

Exploring the cathedral

In the western end of the nave is a monument erected in homage to Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, as well as a tombstone with Christian symbols. In the north aisle, the white marble sculpture of Rolls master John Philpot Curran and Thomas Jones's tomb, Archbishop of Dublin, and his son are located there. Other sculptures, imposing by their size, recalling different personalities of the Middle Ages, stand there. The north transept is the place where the silverware created by Richard Williams in 1779 is displayed. Many flags and decorations adorn this part of the building. The graves of Fulk de Saundford and Michael Tregury, Archbishops of Dublin, are located in the north and south aisles of the chancel. Nearby is the chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame. The choir of the cathedral, composed mainly of stalls, is decorated with standards and representations of the coat of arms of the Knights of Saint-Patrick1.