Christchurch Cathedral
Christchurch Cathedral is located at Woodquay at the end of Lord Edward Street. Its original architectural context was lost due to road-building and the demolition of the older residential quarter at Wood Quay. As a result, the cathedral now appears dominant in isolation behind new civil offices along the quays, out of its original medieval context.
The cathedral was established in Dublin around 1028, following King Sitric Silkenbeard’s pilgrimage to Rome. The first bishop was Dúnán or Donat, and the diocese was initially part of Glendalough Diocese. The church was built on high ground overlooking the Viking settlement and was one of only two churches in the entire city.
Henry II attended the Christmas service at the cathedral in 1171. According to the cathedral guidebook, this was the first time Henry received Holy Communion following the murder of Thomas Becket by Henry’s knights in Canterbury in 1170. It was later rebuilt in stone in the 1180s with funding from Norman magnates. In the 13th century, a chapel to St. Laurence O’Toole was added, and the nave was built in the 1230s inspired by English Gothic architecture. The cathedral underwent major extensions in the 14th century, and a wealthy judge bequeathed his lands and silver to it in the 15th century. It was also the site of a failed attempt to crown a pretender king in 1487. The choir school was founded in 1493.
The Priory of the Holy Trinity was abolished by King Henry VIII in 1539, and its Prior and Canons became the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church. Henry VIII’s successor, Edward VI, provided funds for increased staffing and annual funding for the choir school. Edward VI also suppressed St Patrick’s Cathedral and transferred its belongings to Christ Church. Queen Mary I and James I increased Christ Church’s endowment. In 1551, divine service was sung in English for the first time in Ireland, and the Bible was first read in English in 1560.
The cathedral was extensively renovated and rebuilt from 1871 to 1878 by George Edmund Street with sponsorship from Henry Roe, a distiller from Mount Anville. The 14th-century choir was demolished and replaced with a new eastern end, and a new chapter house and tower were built. The south nave arcade was rebuilt, and flying buttresses were added as a decorative feature. The north porch was removed and replaced with a baptistry. Street also built the adjacent Synod Hall, taking in the last remnant of St Michael and All Angels’s Church, including the bell tower. The synod house is linked to the cathedral by Street’s iconic covered footbridge. Roe spent over £230,000 on the renovations, and further renovations were carried out between 1980 and 1982.
Association with Poddle
Poddle flooding in St. Patrick’s Cathedral meant that in 1744 the Chapter were obliged to ask for the use of the sister Cathedral of Christchurch for their Lenten Services, as St Patrick’s was “dangerous to assemble in from the late floods.
What the Newspapers Say
Summary of newspaper article in the Sunday Independent 15th July, 1990
Archaeologists have uncovered significant archaeological finds, including the first corn mill of its kind in the city, during excavations for a new drainage scheme near Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin. The mill, dating back to the medieval period, was found along the bank of the River Poddle. Other finds include leather shoes, oak beams, coins, decorative pins, and skeletons.
Newspaper article in the Irish Examiner 30th April, 1953
While the Church of Ireland General Synod was continuing its meetings at the Synod House at Christchurch Place to-day, water was seeping slowly into the basement of this fine building. It is a seepage which is causing some concern to those responsible for the maintenance of these beautiful o!d structures in the ancient heart of this city. The assembled clergy and laity were told by Mr. C. G. Carson, Hon. Secretary of the Synod’s Standing Committee, of the efforts of a water diviner who was called in to try to locate the water which is flowing under Christchurch Cathedral itself. The diviner found water 21 feet under High Street, but when Corporation workmen dug down 18 feet under the Synod Hall, they could not find any. Yet it continues to seep into the basement. Some people who have considered the matter are of opinion that the source of the seepage is the River Poddle which flows underground in ‘the locality of the Cathedral, but another theory is that it is a secret spring which has suddenly come to life. The next move by the Church of Ireland authorities will be to enlist the services of a water diviner again.
