Guides

Churches and religious sites in Dublin

A couple standing in the gardens of Christ Church Cathedral, pointing to something off camera and smiling.
Religion has played a central role in Dublin's history.
This means it's almost impossible to move through the city without passing a church, school or institution with clerical connections.

Roman Catholicism might be the dominant religion in Dublin, but its two most famous religious landmarks are Protestant places of worship, reaching back 1000 years to the establishment of the imposing Christ Church and St Patrick's cathedrals. These architectural masterpieces remain important centres of prayer, song, heritage and history.

Despite the increasing secularisation of Irish society, faith has made its mark across the city, from the place names to the ecclesiastical architecture and churches in every neighbourhood. From the heights of the Papal Cross in the Phoenix Park, where Pope John Paul 11 said Mass before 1.25 million Catholics in 1979, to the unassuming Whitefriar Street Church, home to the relics of St. Valentine, Dublin’s humble and historical religious sites are deeply embedded in the city’s character.

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