St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral

Top choice in Counties Down & Armagh


Huge twin towers dominate the approach to Armagh's Roman Catholic Cathedral, built between 1838 and 1873 in Gothic Revival style. Inside it seems almost Byzantine, with every piece of wall and ceiling covered in coloured mosaics. The sanctuary was modernised in 1981 and has a very distinctive tabernacle holder and crucifix that seem out of place among the mosaics and statues of the rest of the church.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Counties Down & Armagh attractions

1. Armagh Robinson Library

0.23 MILES

A first edition of Gulliver's Travels, published in 1726 and annotated by Swift himself, is the most prized possession of the wonderful Armagh Robinson…

2. Armagh Courthouse

0.3 MILES

At the northern end of the Mall stands Armagh Courthouse, rebuilt after being destroyed by a huge IRA bomb blast in 1993. It originally dates from 1809,…

3. Armagh Planetarium

0.33 MILES

Aimed mainly at educating young people, the Armagh Planetarium has an interactive exhibition on space exploration, and a digital theatre that screens a…

4. No 5 Vicar's Hill

0.34 MILES

The collection of nearby Armagh Robinson Library spills over into the octagonal rooms of No 5 Vicar's Hill, a depository for Church of Ireland records,…

6. Armagh Observatory

0.4 MILES

The Armagh Observatory was founded by Archbishop Robinson in 1789 and is still Ireland's leading astronomical-research institute. The observatory building…

7. Charlemont Place

0.43 MILES

The east side of the Mall is lined with handsome Georgian terraces including Charlemont Place, designed by local Francis Johnston, who later became one of…

8. Mall

0.44 MILES

This long grassy expanse east of Armagh's centre was a horse-racing, cock-fighting and bull-baiting venue until the 18th century, when Archbishop Robinson…