Christ Church

After I went to Dublinia, I crossed a bridge that connects Dublinia to Christ Church. I paid to have a tour of Christ Church and it was an amazing tour!

A church was first built on this site in 1030, when the Vikings were in Dublin. It became a cathedral under the Benedictines at the end of the 11th century. One of the most famous Archbishops, Laurence O'Toole, introduced the canons of St. Augustine to the cathedral. These canons remained the doctrine of the church until the Reformation. In the 1530's, Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church and started The Church of England. Since Ireland was under the control of England at the time, all cathedrals and other churches were turned to a Protestant church; the same with Christ Church.

Though at the site a church has existed since 1030, the present church shape dates to the 1180's. In the 1870's, a major restoration project went underway. Henry Roe was the main sponsor of the church restoration. His hired team tried everything to make sure that they kept with the original church. A wall in the church is leaning, but instead of knocking it down, they designed the church around this wall. They also found original tiles of the church, which they restored and created new tiles to place around the church.

The tour that I went on took us around the church and told us the significance of some of the items on displayed and talked about the architecture of the church. The tour ended in the crypt, where the guide told us about some of the people buried there. There are also some treasures of the church that are on display. These include gifts of the church and some old records books.

The tour of the church cost 4 Euro and I believe that it was worth it. I talked with a friend who went to Christ Church and didn't take the tour. After I told her about the tour, she said that she should have taken it. Without the tour, I would not know the significance of the church and all the great stories that the church holds.

Christ Church

Ruins of the old chapter house. These ruins date to the thirteenth-century. In the pre-Reformation period, this building was used for the common reading of a chapter of the Augustinian rule.

Entrance to the church.

Stain glass window at the entrance of the church.

Bridge that connects Dublinia to Christ Church.

Inside Christ Church.

The wall on the left is the wall that is leaning.

Tiles of the main aisle of the church.

Lion tiles. The lion has long been a symbol of England.

Many times in art, humans have been portrayed as monkeys.

Peace dove tiles.

Lions in a 4 leaf clover tiles.

Lion tiles.

4 leaf clover tile.

Foxy Foxes tiles. This is the nickname of the church.

Tree of life tile.

Original organ.

Jesus figure.

Dublin city's emblem.

Golden eagle. This is where the Bible is displayed in the church. The eagle is usually associated with Protestant churches.

Cool door.

Original tiles of the church. When they renovated the church, they used the original designs and made new tiles throughout the church.

Origianal Foxy Foxes.

Origianl tiles.

Heart of Archbishop Laurence O'Toole.

The Lady Chapel

German artist's work.

The Chapel of Saint Edmund. Strongbow and his knights showed their origins by the dedication of these eastern chapels: Laud, their original home in Normandy. And Edmund their claim to England.

Figures. Many figures in the church depicted people of the church doing various chores like farming.

Strongbow's coffin. Strongbow was the leader of the Cambro-Normans that captured Dublin in 1170. He was buried in Christ Church. His original coffin was destroyed when the roof collapse in 1562. This coffin is placed in his honor. The coffin is that of a Crusade knight.

In Old English, telling how Strongbow's coffin was destroyed.

This is believed to be a fragment of the original coffin.

Bishop Lindsay's coffin. He was a former dean of Christ Church and was the last one to hold the position of bishop of Kildare.

The main alter.

The new organ.

Musicians. It is believed that during the Medieval ages, music was introduced to worship in the church.

In honor of believers in the United States.

Baptistry.

Inside the baptistry.

Stain glass window of St. Patrick.

Stain glass window. The stain glass windows throughout the church tell the most famous stories from the Bible. In Medieval times, they helped the illiterate of society know the Bible. When the renovations of the church were happening, they tried very hard to stay true to the original window and the colors. Rumor has it, that the person who was in charge of overseeing the manufacturing of the stain glass windows, didn't really like most of them. He believed that in Medieval times, the colors were not as bright.

Coffee in the crypt. It is all about location, location, location. Thus, this is the best coffee place ever!

Original foundation of the church.

Mummified cat and rat. Once when a worker was cleaning the organ, he pulled out the cat from one of the pipes. He set it aside and continued to clean. He then found the rat in the same pipe. The cat must have been chasing the rat when it went up the pipe to try to escape. The cat followed and both of them got stuck. The rat is not the original rat. As a prank, some Trinity College students took the original rat. In return, they gave the church another mummified rat.

Burial of Sir John Bowes.

The outfits on the mannequins are from the popular T.V. series "The Tudors". In some episodes, the show is filmed in the church. In honor of the royal wedding, the costume designer dedicated these outfits to the church.

Royal arms of the Stuarts of England.

Crypt

Crypt