Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral is not only the formal seat of the archbishop of Dublin, it is also a magnificent example of religious architecture. You might have seen it on the popular TV show, The Tudors.

The church, also called the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, was probably founded sometime around 1030 by Dúnán, the first bishop of Dublin, and Sitruic. However, it is not the same church as we see today. The cathedral was first rebuilt in the 16th century and then again in the 19th century. The later reconstruction was done in Victorian style, and it is this look that the church still keeps today. The funds for the second round of works on the church, worth over 2,000,000 pounds in today's money, were provided by one of the parishioners, Henry Roe.

The cathedral boasts the largest cathedral crypt in Britain or Ireland, which was also rebuilt in the 12th century and is open to visitors. There is also a belfry, where, if you get lucky, you can ring the bells yourself.