Dublin is a grand old city for walking around! If we walk south of the River Liffey, and then a little west from Dublin Castle, we may find ourselves here in Christchurch Place, walking alongside a magnificent cathedral. This is Christ Church Cathedral, built in traditional Gothic style, with a large square central tower, and many parapets and turrets. We shall explore the interior of the Cathedral a little later, but for now we walk down left ... under this bridge? INDEX
2. SYNOD HALL BRIDGE LM AMT
What an unexpected find! A covered footbridge across busy Winetavern Street connecting the Cathedral to the Dublina Museum. The bridge is relatively new, built in 1871 when the Cathedral was restored, and built to connect the Cathedral with Synod Hall. The Synod Hall was once a separate church called St Michael’s. It then became the Synod Hall – a gathering place for bishops and other church officials. Now it is the site of the Dublinia Viking museum.
3. WEST WALL AMT
Walking under the Synod Hall Bridge we come to the West wall of the Cathedral with its five-light West window, two side windows and a West door – little used, I suspect, as it opens out very close to the street. At the top of the gable stands a Celtic Cross – a simple cross with a circle about its centre. There looks to be a decorative carving above the West door.
4. WEST DOOR DETAIL LM
On closer inspection we see that the decorative carving is the Agnus Dei – Lamb of God. This is the traditional image of a Lamb carrying a banner with a featured cross: here pictured surrounded by foliage in a quatrefoil.
5. NORTH SIDE AND BRIDGE LM
Walking a little way down Winetavern Street we can look back and admire the Cathedral and bridge. There are two nice little turrets at the West end of the Cathedral, and an extension towards us in place of an old North porch, which we will later identify as the baptistry. Closer to us is a curious little paved area.
6. OLD FOUNDATIONS GSV
This cobblestone pavement appears to show in stone the layout of an 11th century Viking age plot. This pavement commemorates the wooden buildings and pathways excavated at Wood Quay/Fishamble Street 1980-81.
7. TOWER AND BAPTISTRY LM
Looking more closely at the Cathedral wall we can appreciate the large clerestory windows, the flying buttresses, and the decorated wall buttresses and towers. The small door below the baptistry appears to lead to the crypt toilets.
8. NORTH WALL LM
Walking along the narrow stone path close to the North wall, one gets a feeling of the building’s great age. In fact it is hard to determine the age of many parts of this Cathedral, but it is thought that this wall (not the baptistry) largely dates back to 1230.
9. EAST END LM
Our path leads us to the chapter house extension at the Northeast corner of the Cathedral. This is a newer part of the Cathedral, part of the 1871 – 1878 additions. The stone work is beautifully crisp and clean, and we can admire the castellated parapet, the little end quatrefoils, the gargoyles ... and the distant weather vane!
10. END CHAPELS AND BEYOND LM
We now move around to view the ‘Cathedral proper’. In this view we see two of the three Eastern chapels at right, extending out beyond the Eastern end of the apse above. The South transept extends at left, and tucked against it is the Laurence O’Toole Chapel which was added in the 13th century. An architectural delight!
11. SOUTHEAST VIEW AMT
A different perspective, a different time of day. The dominating feature is the central bell tower. Christ Church Cathedral probably had at least one ringing bell from its foundation. By 1440 there were known to be three great bells in the tower; however, on 11 March 1597, an accidental gunpowder explosion on one of the nearby quays damaged the tower and caused the bells to crack. In 1670, six new bells were cast for the tower from cannon metal. These were recast and augmented to eight by Abel Rudhall in 1738.
12. SOUTH SIDE AND TOWER LM
The most recent augmentation of the bells was in 1999 when an additional seven bells were added to the ring, giving a grand total of 20 bells – 19 swinging bells (the world’s highest number of change ringing bells) and one chiming bell, cast by the Rudhalls. Although this does not produce a diatonic scale of 19 notes, it does uniquely provide a choice of combinations: three different 12-bell peals (in the keys of B, C# and F#) as well as 14- and 16-bell peals. At the time of the augmentation, this was only the second 16 full circle bell peal in the world – St Martin-in-the-Bullring in Birmingham being the first – and is now one of three rings of 16, along with the Swan Bells in Perth, Western Australia. They are regularly rung on tower tours and on Sunday for Sung Eucharist and Choral Evensong, with a ringing practice on Friday nights.
13. HOMELESS JESUS W-WM
Lying forlornly on a bench is the Homeless Jesus, a bronze sculpture by Timothy Schmalz, and one of over 50 such statues. In the distance is a small building with two round windows: this is the link between the Cathedral and the Synod Hall Bridge. The adjacent complex of buildings to the left of this is in fact all part of the Dublinia Museum lying across Winetavern Street. [Photo Credit: wikipedia William Murphy]
14. CATHEDRAL SIGN LM
The notice board shows that this Cathedral is very active. We notice that the Cathedral is called the Diocesan Cathedral of Dublin and Glendalough. The two dioceses encompass a large area of Eastern Ireland, and were united in 1214.
15. ORIGINAL CHAPTER HOUSE FOUNDATIONS LM LM LM
At the end of the South transept we find the excavated remains of the old Chapter House, a location in which clerical meetings, readings and discussions would have been held. All that remains of the Chapter House are the sunken ruins, which you can actually go down into and examine first hand. The sign tells us that ‘This was the Chapter House of the Augustinian Canons whose Priory was at Christ Church from 1163 to 1537AD.’ •• For future reference, in the last view, notice the brown door behind the chapter house excavation: this is the South entrance through which we will shortly pass.
16. SOUTH SIDE LM
Looking at the South side of the nave, the morning sun dramatically accentuates the flying buttresses and the castellations of the parapet.
17. SOUTH TRANSEPT AND TOWER LM
With old cathedrals I am constantly amazed at the immense detail which is added, and which is seldom seen. Here I notice the clerestory windows of the South transept, the incised crosses in the parapets, the interesting finish around the base of the conical tower roof, ... . The early workers would claim it was done for the glory of God ... not for man’s eyes.
18. TO THE TOWER AMT
We have already commented about the central tower and its bells. It is possible to take a tour up into the tower to see the bells. •• The image at left dates from 2010 where there is a noticeable patch of green grass. At right is a later image with the grass replaced by a labyrinth. This is a circular path beginning at the outside and winding to the centre and back out again. It is not a maze – there is just one path. A labyrinth is an aid to meditation where one might picture one’s journey from the outside world to God at the centre. I like labyrinths, but this one is not a picturesque alternative!
19. DUBLINIA AND ARMENIAN MONUMENT LM CCC
Members of the Armenian Church and community in Ireland gathered in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, on a Saturday afternoon in 2015 to dedicate a memorial to those who died in the Armenian Genocide which began in 1915. The memorial features a Celtic Cross with an Armenian Cross standing out of it and the rest of the stone has many Irish and Armenian details including shamrocks and grapes. It is the 167th memorial to the Armenian Genocide located in 52 countries around the world. The memorial stands close to the end of the Synod Hall Bridge.
20. WEST PORCH ENTRANCE LM
We have now completed our circuit of the Cathedral, and prepare to enter through the South door. What treats await us inside?