St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral

St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral

St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral is a pro-cathedral and the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland.

Dublin has two cathedrals, but unusually, both belong to the same denomination, the minority Church of Ireland, while the majority Roman Catholic faith has not had a cathedral in the capital since the Reformation. Although Christ Church has been the property of the Anglican Church for five hundred years, the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope still regard it as Dublin's primary cathedral because it was designated as such by the Pope upon the request of St. Laurence O'Toole, the 12th-century Archbishop of Dublin. Unless the Pope formally revokes this designation or grants cathedral status to another church, Dublin’s principal Roman Catholic church will remain the "pro-cathedral."

The Pro-Cathedral remains a focal point for religious and national ceremonial events. In 1829, Daniel O'Connell, the Irish nationalist leader and the first Catholic Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons, celebrated a special thanksgiving Mass there. In 1841, the first Catholic Lord Mayor of Dublin in centuries, also O'Connell, held a Mass here to celebrate his election. After his death in 1847, his coffin was laid in the Pro-Cathedral. The inaugurations of President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh in 1974 and President Patrick Hillery in 1976 were held at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral.

St Mary's Pro-Cathedral

Must-visit reason: Dublin’s most important cathedral

Continent: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region: Ireland[Ireland]

Province/State: Dublin [Dublin]

City: Dublin [Dublin]