St Patrick's cathedral

St Patrick's cathedral, Dublin, the ‘national’ cathedral of the Church of Ireland, originally the site of a pre‐Norman parish church immediately outside the city walls. Archbishop John Cumin built a collegiate church here which was dedicated in 1192. In 1213, after a disagreement with the dean and chapter of Christ Church, Archbishop Henry of London advanced St Patrick's to cathedral status, and began to rebuild the church on a grander scale.

In 1300 rivalry between the two cathedrals was ended with a papal decree recognizing the supremacy of Christ Church. In 1320 Archbishop Alexander de Bykenore inaugurated a papal university at St Patrick's in an effort to revive its importance; this was never a success and finally ceased to exist c. 1494. During the Reformation St Patrick's status was further diminished to that of parish church. Its cathedral status was reinstated under Queen Mary in 1554–5 and it retained diocesan status until the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1869. Jonathan Swift was dean there between 1713 and 1745.

Much of the fabric of the church goes back to the 13th and 14th centuries. The north‐west tower was constructed under Archbishop Minot in 1362; the granite spire was added in 1749–50 to the design of the architect George Semple. In 1544 the piers and vaulting of the nave collapsed. By the early 19th century the fabric was in a poor condition and a major restoration programme, funded by Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, led to the reconstruction of much of the cathedral. Included in the reconstruction was the addition of the north and south porches, the west door and windows, and the nave buttresses.

Rachel Moss