subject: 8 Old Christian Churches In Dublin City [print this page] Dublin has numerous old churches, some dating back to Medieval times. Many of these are still in use as parish churches and most are in a good state of repair. This is a brief introduction to eight of the city's oldest churches.
St. Audoen's Church in High Street in the centre of Medieval Dublin has been in existence since the time of the Norman conquest in the 12th century ant it still retains some of its original features including the nave and the west door. It was named by the Normans after one of their saints, St. Audoen of Rouen in France and it still functions as the church of one of the city's parishes.
St. Andrews parish can trace its history back to the 11th century and it has had various versions of its church at different locations over the centuries. The most recent church was built in 1866 in Suffolk Street, not far from Trinity College and was the parish church of St. Andrews until 1994 when it was sold. It is now the main Tourist information Centre in the city.
St. Werburgh's Church which is situated near Christchurch Cathedral in the Liberties area of the city was built in the 12th Century and it was named after the King of Merica's daughter. The original church was burned down in 1300 and rebuilt. A further rebuliding of the church was carried out after a fire in 1754. In the eighteenth century St. Werburgh's became the parish church of the British Lord Lieutenant where he had his own Viceregal pew. The pew register for this church lists many prominent people of Dublin public life in that time.
Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church of Saint Valentine was built on the site of a Medieval Carmelite Priory but nothing remains of the original building. The present church was started in 1825 and there were further extensions in 1856 and 1868. The church contains the remains of St Valentine given by Pope Gregory XVI to Fr Spratt in 1835. St Valentine's feast fell on February 14th but the romantic associations with St. Valentine's Day probably have their origins in older pagan rituals which were held on that date.
The Black Church can be found on the north side of the city. Its correct title is St Mary's Chapel of Ease and it dates from 1830. It was a Protestant Church and there is a local story which alleges that if you walk around the church three tines in an anti-clockwise direction while saying the Hail Mary backwards you will encounter the devil. It is not known if anybody has attempted this. It is called The Black Church because of the darkness of the inside, not because of the dark colour of the stone outside.
Preserved bodies can be found in the crypt of St. Michan's Church in the medieval part of the city. The preservation occurred naturally, probably because of the extreme dryness and the level of lime. The most famous is the body of The Crusader which lies with one hand extended upwards as if in greeting. There was a church on this site since the 11th century but the present building dates mainly from the 17th century and was restored in the 1990s. Handel is reputed to have played his 'Messiah' on the organ.
One of the most famous churches in the city is Christ Church Cathedral which has associations with the Vikings and more especially the Normans. Building began in 1172, just after the Norman conquest of Ireland, on the site of an earlier church. There was a substantial rebuild in the 17th century after the original partially collapsed. Strongbow, who was one of the leading Normans of the time has a tomb in Christ Church Cathedral although there is some doubt as to whether his body is entombed there.
Ireland's biggest church is St. Patrick's Cathedral. It is best known because of the fact that Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels and many other works was Dean of St. Patrick's in the first half of the eighteenth century. St. Patrick is s aid to have been there in the 5th century and a wooden church stood on the site until the end of the 12th century. The present church dates mainly from around 1870.
