St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh

St Patrick’s Cathedral stands on a hilltop in Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the principal church of the Church of Ireland and home to the Anglican Archbishop. The site began as a 5th-century stone monastery founded by St Patrick himself. For many centuries it served as the head church of the Catholic Church in Ireland. After the 16th-century Reformation it became an Anglican cathedral and has remained so ever since. The cathedral’s long history is marked by rebuilding and restoration. It was rebuilt seventeen times and restored in the 16th century by Dean Eoghan McCawell after a great fire. In the 1830s Archbishop Lord John George Beresford and architect Lewis Nockalls Cottingham carried out a major renovation. Scholars later praised the antiquarian care of this work. The cathedral also holds fine sculpture from the 18th and 19th centuries by artists such as Francis Chantrey and Carlo Marochetti. Inside, visitors find the medieval fabric much restored but still present. The nave windows have careful tracery and the font is a faithful copy. Medieval carvings and gargoyles adorn the walls, while the west door retains its richly cusped form. The choir continues a tradition dating back to the Culdees, with Gentlemen Vicars and boy choristers singing daily. Outside, the hilltop setting offers views across Armagh’s twin cathedrals and the surrounding countryside.