Christ Church Cathedral rises in the old part of Dublin and is the main cathedral of the city. The first Christian church on this site was erected in 1031 by Sitrig Silkenberd, at that time wood was used for construction.
The current cathedral was founded in 1172, and its construction continued until the 13th century, which is reflected in the architecture, which combines the early Norman style and English Gothic.
In the 16th century, the vault of the cathedral collapsed, leading to the destruction of the south nave. The nave was restored in the 17th century, and in 1871 a major restoration began, during which the old building was preserved, but its medieval character was lost. During the restoration process, new buildings and a synod hall were added, and the interior and facade were redesigned in the Victorian neo-Gothic style.
In the cathedral, you can see the original Norman and early English structures, ruins of the 13th century, located south of the transept. In the same part you can admire the beautiful Romanesque portal.
The cathedral houses the tomb of Richard de Clair, the leader of the Norman invasion of Ireland, the graves of Sir Henry Cheer and the Earl of Kildare.
In the eastern part of the building, you can see the Chapel of St. Lawrence O'Toole. The embalmed heart of the saint is kept in a special iron reliquary made in the shape of a heart.
Dublin's oldest structure is the Cathedral Crypt, which houses the treasures of the Cathedral of Christ: manuscripts, tabernacles and other artifacts.
An unusual exhibit is mummified animals - a cat and a rat, which she chased. They were found in 1860 while cleaning an organ.
