Cathedrals of Dublin

We visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest cathedral in Ireland. It has been a part of Ireland’s history for over 800 years. Besides being a site of faith, it also housed the first school on the island: the Cathedral Choir School. As legend goes, it was initially constructed on the site of a well that St. Patrick used to baptize people. The cathedral is made from local limestone and stone imported from Bristol. The Cathedral started off as a Catholic church, but is now an Anglican church. Over time, it has been reconstructed and redesigned to fit the changing beliefs of the country. When it became Anglican after the English Reformation, statues were removed and much of the rich detail and decorations were taken down. It soon was neglected, and was temporarily used as a courthouse and university before regaining its cathedral status in 1555 under Queen Mary. 

(A snowy Saint Patrick's. Beautiful but cold!)

At the west end of the cathedral, there is a three-paneled stained glass window depicting the story of Saint Patrick in 39 frames. Another notable feature of the Cathedral is the Door of Reconciliation. This is the door that Gerald Fitzgerald cut a hole in to shake the hand of the Butlers to make peace after a longtime feud. This is where we get the saying “to chance your arm.” Katy loved this story because her ancestors are part of the Fitzgerald family. Also, in one of the knaves, there are some British flags from World War II from the regiments that were stationed there. They will be there until they fall down or disintegrate. 

(Katy, descended from the Fitzgeralds, and Brianna, descended from the Butlers, reenact the historic handshake of their ancestors.)

We also visited Christ Church that was founded in 1038 by King Silkenbeard. It is the oldest Cathedral in Ireland. It was originally built of wood and then rebuilt and enlarged by Strongbow in stone in approximately the 12^th century. The church contains the oldest and largest working crypt in England and Ireland. An important distinction between St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ church is their role as separate diocese. Christchurch serves as the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough while St. Patrick’s Cathedral serves as the national cathedral over all of Ireland. The first archbishop of Dublin was Laurence O’Toole in 1128. The archbishop currently has his seat at Christchurch. In 1541, all the relics at Christchurch were burned in order to become a part of the Anglican Church so that they wouldn’t be disbanded by Henry VIII. In 1562, the church was blown down in a storm leaving one wall standing at a noticeable 45-degree angle. Erica thought that was very interesting that the wall was still there. Christchurch also has the largest bell chimes in the world; the largest of the 19 bells weighs over 4 tons. The church is still a fully functioning church of Ireland. We found it amazing that the first ever performance of G.F. Handel’s Messiah was performed at Christchurch in 1742. When the king heard the famous "Hallelujah Chorus," the music moved him so much that he immediately stood; people continue to honor this tradition in modern times by standing whenever they hear the "Hallelujah Chorus" performed. 

(Christchurch from a distance)

These sites of worship are significant today because they have been around for hundreds of years. They have been places where people have congregated for that long, and still do today. Some of the people from our group actually went to Christchurch and St. Patrick’s for Easter Sunday, a very unique and moving experience. Being at St. Patrick’s for Easter caused Bridget to reflect on the generations of people who have spent their Easters in the same building. It made her reflect on the importance of faith in Ireland and how is has been a staple for so long. Kelly found it interesting that Strongbow is buried in Christchurch, but the effigy is no longer Strongbow because the original was destroyed in a storm. They had to replace it with the effigy of a Norman crusader because this was where people gathered to pay taxes. Ethan’s favorite thing was learning about “minding your p’s and q’s” in Christchurch. This refers to knowing your limit of pints and quarts of beer. We loved visiting these two exquisite cathedrals.

(One of the stained glass windows depicting stories from the life of Christ)