Upon entering St.
Patrick’s Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral, which are both located in
Dublin, our group was awestruck and amazed by intricate design and architecture
of this ancient structure. The two churches have traces of Romanesque as well
as Gothic style. High arches, tall ceilings, and stain glass windows are only a
few examples of this style. It is truly amazing just how much history can be
expressed through buildings alone. When the two cathedrals were constructed
however, the design served as a much greater purpose than one would expect. The
builders actually illustrated much of their theology and beliefs through the
architecture of these immaculate buildings, thus revealing the extreme
importance of these places of worship.
For example, the
Cathedrals are built in the shape of a cross and point East. Further more, the
pulpit located inside the building is also pointed east, which is the direction
of the rising sun. This signifies the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even
the fact that Cathedrals are built on hills is twofold. It first illustrates
the sovereignty of Christ. Secondly, it exemplifies the authority and dominant
figure the church has on society. The high ceilings serve a similar purpose.
When entering in the building, a person’s eyes are immediately drawn upwards.
As a result, a person feels small and insignificant in comparison to the
magnificence of Christ. It is difficult to resist this overwhelming, yet
peaceful feeling of automatic reverence.
There were a few
different objects that were particular interesting to different individuals in
our group. It was interesting that in St. Patrick’s Cathedral there was no
crypt because of the location of the church. The Poddle River is located
nearby, so the ground is too soft which prevents graves from being underground.
So instead, hundreds of bodies are buried in the walls, ceilings, and the floor
boards. This is quite the opposite of Christchurch, which has the largest crypt
in all of Ireland and Great Britain. Christchurch also has a four thousand pipe
organ. And interestingly enough, a cat and mouse were recently found to be
mummified in that very organ which is something that was random and slightly
amusing.
Both of the
churches definitely had their touristy side, which we found to be slightly
irreverent, but understandable. There was a gift shop located just inside the
place of worship at St. Patrick’s, which we agreed is a little bit distracting.
Christchurch has a coffee shop underneath, as well as costumes from the cast of
the popular show “Tudors” because a portion of the series was filmed there.
Several
of us actually got to attend the Easter morning service in Christchurch which
was such an incredible experience. Personally, I was touched knowing that though
the building I was worshipping in was ancient, the God I was worshipping is
constant through the ages.
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| Christchurch |
Inside Christchurch
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| Inside St. Patrick's |
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| St. Patrick's |
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