A cathedral full of medieval relics

Christchurch is located on a site of a wooden church built in 1038 by Sitric Silkbeard, the first Norse King of Dublin. This was replaced by a stone church in 1172 after the conquest of Dublin by Strongbow. It became to be one of the major pilgrimage sites in medieval Ireland and started to amass a collection of relics ranging from such things as a miraculous speaking cross, a piece from the crib of Jesus, and even the heart of Laurence O’Toole, patron saint of Dublin! You can also see a mummified cat & rat which are locally known as Tom & Jerry. These characters are mentioned by James Joyce in Finnegan’s wake. Although the Cathedral was heavily restored by the distiller Henry Roe in the 1870s you can still see some of its original Norman and Early English Gothic structures.