Radio broadcast from Down Cathedral
The Sunday Service on Radio 4 and Radio Ulster was broadcast on Sunday 24th May from Down Cathedral. The service was part of the Cathedral's 400th Anniversary Celebrations and also celebrated the building's Benedictine heritage.
Monks from the Holy Cross Monastery in Rostrevor participated in the service and their Superior, Dom Mark Ephrem Nolan preached.
The broadcast is available here until Sunday 31st May.
Since the time of St Patrick, Christians have prayed and worshipped on the hill in Downpatrick. In 1183 a Benedictine Monastery was built there by monks from Chester Cathedral, itself founded by monks from Bec in Normandy. Remnants of that monastery form part of the Cathedral today.
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries a Cathedral and Chapter were established in 1609, although the building wasn't fully restored until the 18th Century.