Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

This church dates back to 1038. The church is located at the end of Dame Street, which overlooks the River Liffey.

The cathedral was founded by the first Bishop of Dublin named Dunan, who erected a simple wooden church.
The church then was rebuilt in stone by Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke for Laurence O’Tolle, who was the archbishop of Dublin, after the coming of the Normans to Ireland in 1169.

Since then the Christ Church Cathedral has undergone number of renovations and restorations making it the grand structure it is today. It it great to look at and i would say its one of Dublins gem churchs to see.

I have to admit that, whilst I’m not religious myself, I love to visit old churches. The quietness and the gorgeous architecture make them well worth a visit.

Christ Church is impressive on this front, but it has more hidden treasures as well. The cathedral building itself is gorgeous both outside and in. The stained glass windows are each works of art within themselves and the stone columns and arches are visually stunning. But my favourite part of the visit was when my friend and I descended the small, humble stone staircase down the the crypts underneath.

Dimly lit, they have a wonderfully old world (or should that be olde worlde?) atmosphere. This was slightly spoiled by the fact that the crypts appear to have become somewhat of a storage space. There was a clothing rack complete with empty coathangers, and in another part of the crypt there were stacks of chairs. But aside from that, it was a wonderful little place. The crypts are scattered with some beautiful stone statues and a few interesting historical bits and pieces, including a mummified cat and mouse who they found in the organ - a.k.a the original Tom & Jerry.

There is a separate section which at the time housed some quite spectacular silverware as part of an exhibition, but I’m not sure if this is a permanent attraction or whether it changes. In any case, be aware that once you go through the turnstile to that other section, you can’t take photos or video. Thankfully, the rest of the church allows you to snap away to your heart’s content.

There is an entry fee of about 6 euros but it is worth the ‘donation’.