Mass & Service Times
We do not have service times for Down Cathedral Holytrinity (Downpatrick) yet. The contact details on this page are the quickest way to check. Send them to us and we will list them.
About Down Cathedral Holytrinity (Downpatrick)
Down Cathedral Holytrinity (Downpatrick) is a Church of Ireland church in Down, County Down. It is one of the churches in the parish of Down Cathedral - Downpatrick (Lecale), in the Diocese of Down & Dromore.
History
John De Courcy, a Norman knight, invited Benedictine monks from Chester, who were originally from Bec in Normandy, to establish a monastery on the Hill of Down. Parts of the present building date from 1183. Following the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII the building gradually fell into decay.
In 1609 King James I issued a Royal Charter establishing a Chapter and Cathedral on the site. The cathedral was restored in the late eighteenth century. A programme of reordering and redecoration was completed in 2015.
The building
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, known as Down Cathedral, stands on the Hill of Down above the town of Downpatrick. The box pews and the pipe organ date from the restoration carried out in the late eighteenth century.
Notable features
Tradition holds that Saint Patrick was buried on the Hill of Down, and the cathedral's own account records a belief that his remains lie close to the building. The cathedral is one of the destinations on St Patrick's Trail.
Clergy
- Incumbent Very Rev Henry Blair
- Non-Stipendiary Minister Rev Graham Savidge
- Curate Rev PJ Booth
