ST. PATRICKS CATHEDRAL

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Ireland’s largest church, is also one of the biggest tourist attractions in Dublin. Built between 1220 and 1260, the Cathedral is one of the few buildings left from the medieval city of Dublin. Historically, St Patrick was believed to have baptized converts from paganism to Christianity and a small wooden church was built on the site to commemorate his visit. The present building was constructed between 1191 and 1270 and became a cathedral.

There are over 700 burials on the site, many under the Cathedral’s floor and more outside in the graveyard. The most famous one is Jonathan Swift, the author of “Gulliver’s Travels,” who was the Dean of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745. St. Patrick’s is also home to six celtic grave slabs which are over a thousand years old and an unusual collection of monuments and brasses.

Today St. Patrick’s is the National Cathedral for the Church of Ireland and it is still very much a living building with services held every day of the year. It also hosts choral concerts regularly performed by members of the Choir School founded in 1432.

Visitor Information

St Patrick’s Close,Dublin 8Co. DublinIrelandTelephone: +353(0)1 453 9472Web: www.stpatrickscathedral.ie

Opening Hours

March – October: 9:00-5:00pm (Mon-Fri), 9:00-6:00pm (Sat), 9:00-6:30pm (Sun)November – February: 9:00-5pm (Mon-Sat), 9:00-2:30pm(Sun)