Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin August 21, 2017

Christ Church Cathedral (aka The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity) stands in the heart of Dublin. It was founded around 1028 by the Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin Sitric Silkenbeard (970-1042) and the first Bishop of Dublin, Dúnán. Following the Norman Invasion by Strongbow in 1170, Henry II took communion here after murdering Thomas Becket! Shortly after, in 1186, it was rebuilt by the Anglo-Normans. During the Reformation, King Henry VIII made sure the church adhered to his new Church of England rules. It underwent more renovations in the 1870s and 1980s. Originally Roman Catholic, it is now the Cathedral of the Church of Ireland. However, the Catholic Church still claims to this day that the Cathedral rightfully belongs to the Roman Catholic Church!

In 2015, an anonymous donor presented this bronze sculpture to the Cathedral. The artist, Timothy Schmalz, entitled it “Homeless Jesus”. The holes in the feet are the only clues that this is Jesus crucified. Other casts have been installed in North American and European cities.
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While this cathedral is less ancient and tall than St. Patrick’s, it still has much to reveal. Here is the beautiful altar..
cc40 The floor tiles are remarkable. cc44
cc41 And in general the cathedral is bright and cheerful…
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The stained glass windows are lovely…
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It is difficult to get the entire cathedral into a picture, as it has several parts, having been built in several stages and today it is in a crowded downtown area.
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