Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Initially built in 1038 the cathedral suffered several transformations until the Victorian period when they decided to restore it following its medieval characteristics.

Mixing some original details with pastiche, it keeps being a good example of medieval religious architecture.

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This is Dublins oldest stone building and was built on the site of the wooden church of king Sitric Silkenbeards (1038).
A church was commissioned here by Richard de Clare in 1172.
During the 16th and 17th centuries the crypt was used as a market, meeting place and a pub.
After Henry VIII broke with Rome became the first dean of Christ Church in 1541.
In 1562 the nave roof collapsed leaving the cathedral in ruins. Temporary measures to the fallen roof remained in place until 1870 until Henry Roe, a local whisky distiller, paid architect George Edmund Street to restore the church.
Restoration work took place in the 1980's and 1990's including the crypt.

The exhibition "Treasures of Christ Church" reflects a 1000 years of history, worship and architecture in

christ church cathedral was established by the hiberno-norse king silkbeard. the church was rebuilt in 1186 by archbishop john cumin and again in 1870 by architech george street. for those interested in history and gothic architecture this beautiful church is a must see site in dublin.

Christchurch is unmissable, and no, I dont mean the one in New Zealand.
It was built during the Viking era (900-1000 AD) and there is now a Viking exhibition across the street from Christchurch that you can visit.
here's a crappy photo of the roof, i couldnt get it all into the camera viewfinder :)

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One of the cities main churches. A church was first built on this site by the Norse King Sitric in 1038 but being made of wood it didn't last too long.

On my most recent trip to Dublin we actually went inside and had a look around the main cathedral as well as down in the crypt. You get given an information sheet/map that points out items and areas of interest with some explanation which makes it more interesting. If you are here keep an eye out for the mummified cat and mouse. They were found trapped behind an organ, presumably mid chase!

Entry was 5 Euro but free with a Dublin Pass

The earliest manuscript dates Christ Church cathedral to its present location around 1030. By 1152 it was incorporated into the Irish church.
Laurence O’Toole acted directly in diplomatic efforts between the Dubliners and the Anglo-Normans including Strongbow (Richard de Clare) following the capture of the city in 1170. In 1395 King Richard II sat in state in the cathedral to receive homage from the kings of the four Irish provinces O'Neill of Ulster, McMurrough of Leinster, O'Brien of Munster and O'Connor of Connacht. In 1487 Lambert Simnel, pretender to the English throne in the reign of Henry VII was ‘crowned’ in Christ Church as Edward VI.
In the sixteenth century, reform again came from England when Henry VIII broke from Rome. In 1562, the nave roof vaulting collapsed and Strongbow’s tomb was smashed, the current tomb being a contemporary replacement from Drogheda. The cathedral was in ruins and emergency rebuilding took place immediately. This temporary solution lasted until the 1870s! In 1689 King James attended Mass. One year later, returning from the Battle of the Boyne on 6 July 1690, King William III gave thanks for his victory over King James II and presented a set of gold communion plate to the cathedral.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Christ Church’s crypt was used as a market, a meeting place for business, and at one stage even a pub.
In 1742 the cathedral choir together with the choir of St Patrick’s cathedral sang at the world premiere of Handel's Messiah in nearby Fishamble Street.
The Church Temporalities Act of 1833 brought partial disendowment and impoverished what had been one of the wealthiest ecclesiastical corporations in Ireland.
The cathedral as it exists today is heavily Victorianised due to the extensive restorations and renovations carried out by the architect George Edmund Street (between 18718) at the expense of a Dublin whiskey distiller, Henry Roe, who gave £230,000 (£23m today!) to save the cathedral.

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Christ Church also known as the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was founded in 1030 C.E. in Dublin's Medieval District and is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The Cathedral is in Gothic style architecture and is operated by the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough. It is also the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland. Oddly, Christ Church is also officially claimed as the seat of both the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic archbishops of Dublin. Originally Catholic then taken over by the Church of Ireland after the English Reformation. The Church sits next to Wood Quay and is connected to the Dublinia Medieval Museum by means of a dual carriage-way building overpass. The first cathedral was founded after 1028 C.E. after the Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin, King Sitric Silkenbeard made his quest to Rome. Dunan or Donat became the first bishop that answered to Canterbury rather than the Irish Church. THe Church was built on high ground overlooking the Wood Quay Viking Settlement. Secular clergy operated the first cathedral, then in 1163, the Benedictines came in and it was converted to a Priory of the Regular Order of Arrosian Canons (Reformed Augustinian Rule) after some time which was subsequently headed by an Augustinian Prior until re-establishment in 1541 after the English Reformation in 1539. This became the Priory of the Holy Trinity which was the wealthiest religious entity in Ireland possessing over 10,000 acres of land in Dublin alone. The Church became the new church structure of King Henry VIII when he converted the Priory to a Cathedral with a Dean and Chapter. In 1547, King Edward VI suppressed St. Patrick's Cathedral and had its treasures transferred over to Christ Church. This was reversed by Queen Mary in 1558. Queen Mary I and James I of England increased Christ Church's funding and assets. By 1560 the Bible had its first reading in English at Christ Church. Repairs and maintenance was performed on the Cathedra from 1829-1831 and then extensively renovated and rebuilt from 1871-1878 by George Edmund Street. This demolished the 14th century choir with a new eastern end and chapter house built over the original crypt, and the tower and south nave arcade was rebuilt. More renovations were achieved from 1980-1982. The Cathedral contains the tomb of the medieval Norman-Welsh warlord Strongbow and is located in the nave. There is some debate on whether or not it really is Strongbow's tomb as the original tomb was destroyed centuries ago and purported to have moved here. This tomb was used as the venue for legal agreements from the 16th-18th centuries. Behind the organ in the choir is the infamous mummified "Cat and Mouse" that was found trapped there and mummified by the dry air of the cathedral. The cathedral crypt, constructed in 1172-1173, is the largest crypt of its type in all of Britain and Ireland. The Crypt contains the oldest known secular carvings in Ireland, a tabernacle and set of candlesticks used when the cathedral last operated under Roman Rite, the stocks made in 1670 used to punish offenders before the Court of the Dean's Liberty, and historic books and altar goods.

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Christ Church Cathedral (or more formally, The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity) was founded on the former site of an old wooden church, which was built by Viking King Sitric Silkenbeard in 1038. The present stone cathedral was begun 140 years later, a huge construction work that continued into the 13th century. Over the years the cathedral has been changed many times, for instance in the late 19th century when it was fully renovated in a Victorian Neo-Gothic style.

Much of the cathedrals medieval character has been removed over time, but the Christ Church Cathedral is still impressive outside and inside. The huge nave has some interesting side chapels (including the Chapel of St. Laurence O'Toole), the old choir, stained glass windows, the tomb of Strongbow (an old Norman baron), and many beautiful decorated floor tiles. Down in the large medieval crypt (64 meters long) you’ll find the oldest known secular carvings in Ireland, the Treasures of Christ Church exhibition, and a mummified cat and rat.

Christ Church is said to be Dublin’s only ‘real cathedral’. The nearby Saint Patrick's Cathedral lacks a bishop and the Roman-Catholic St. Mary's is classified as a ‘pro-cathedral’ for political reasons. Christ Church Cathedral is well worth a visit.