Cathedrals

On yet another SSP field trip we went to St. Patrick’s and Christchurch Cathedrals. Sadly, my camera died as I was entering St. Patrick’s. I LOVE Gothic architecture and taking pictures of cathedrals. But it’s probably for the best. You’ve seen one Gothic arch, you’ve seen them all. But these cathedrals were very different from others I’ve toured.

St. Patrick’s-

Is tucked into the corner of a street. You could easily miss it if you were walking past. There is no large square or gardens to indicate its presence. It is now Anglican/First Church of Ireland, although it obviously used to be Catholic. And because it’s Protestant, there are no stations of the cross anywhere, and there’s relatively little iconography. I have to admit that my experience with Gothic cathedrals is limited to a few churches in France, but I knew what to expect when I went in one of them. Not so in Dublin. It seemed dingier and less decorated than it ought to have been, and the altar was thoroughly unimpressive. (Then again I was comparing it to the cathedral in France where the altar features a giant Baroque statue of Jesus as Neptune rising from the waves.) There were also many memorials and dedications along the walls to people who had paid lots of money to be remembered by the church. That was unusual to me, but I guess they were taking the place of the Catholic icons. Jonathan Swift was the dean of St. Patrick’s during his lifetime, and stuff about/dedicated to him is everywhere. He’s buried there, for one. Also, a tacky little gift shop that sold leprechaun shot glasses was tastelessly crammed into one of the naves. There is one thing I did really like about St. Patrick’s. On one wall there are two large monuments to African wars in the 1840s-50s. They are marble, sort of neo-classical, gigantic, and mostly composed of lions. They are grandiose shrines to the glory that is war. In between these two memorials is a small cross made of poppies, and a plaque in honor of the two World Wars. It’s simple and beautiful; a small way of honoring the sacrifices made during two horrific wars. Since they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) destroy the older memorials, it’s as though they apologized for them with the reverent poppy cross.

I think archways are absolutely amazing. Imagine how hard they are to construct, particularly without modern tools.

Good 'Ole Saint Patrick


That is seriously where Jonathan Swift is buried. Right there. It's crazy!

Christ Church-

Is larger and grander and prettier than St. Patrick’s, but it still seems to be missing something. A touch of that je ne sais quoi (get it? Cuz all the cathedrals I like are French). But in decoration and such, it is very similar to St. Patrick’s. However, Christ Church does have a full crypt, meaning the crypt is the same size as the church, which is unusual. Contained therein are various treasures once used in ceremonies, the chair William of Orange totally sat in one time, and the like. Also included is a display about the show The Tudors, because they filmed in Christ Church at some point. One very interesting thing down there is a mummified cat and mouse which were found in an organ pipe. How on earth were they in there long enough to get mummified?!? Didn’t somebody think “Hmm, when I press this key the sound is awfully muffled,” or “I wonder what that yowling coming from the organ is,” or “Why does it smell like something crawled up in here and died?” But I digress. Besides all those wonders of the Christ Church crypt, there is the café and “Foxy Friars bookshop.” I kid you not. At least in Christ Church the leprechaun shot glasses are safely tucked away rather than in full view of the altar.