Down Cathedral prepares for 200th anniversary
As the new year approaches, Down Cathedral is preparing to mark an important anniversary – in 2018 it will be 200 years since the building was restored and reconsecrated.
Dean of Down, the Very Revd Henry Hull (right) has been speaking to the BBC…
“We will have a special service to celebrate the bicentenary of the building being reconsecrated,” he said. “We have a reference from a man called Pilsen, a local resident who kept detailed diaries of the history of Downpatrick, that on 23 August 1818 the building was ready for public worship, and certainly worship has continued since that date.”
Churches and abbeys have been on the site of Down Hill, where the current cathedral stands, as far back as the 5th Century. The present site was built in 1183 by Benedictine monks from Beck in Normandy. The monastery was used by the monks until 1543, but the site was subjected to numerous attacks over the centuries.
Dean Hull said: “The building began to fall into decay and in 1609, King James I granted a Royal Charter to install a dean and a cathedral. However for the next 200 years the building continued to be a ruin which was used for consecrating bishops and for burials.”
It wasn’t until the 18th Century that funds were raised by local families and King George III to restore the site, and in 1818 the building was ready again for public worship.
It is estimated that 60,000 people from around the world visit the cathedral every year, some on pilgrimage, others to find out more about St Patrick.
Dean Hull said he was honoured to serve at the cathedral. “One of the great privileges of ministering here is to know people have been on this site praying and worshipping over the centuries,” he said.
“Although this building has gone through various changes, there is something constant that remains and we pray that will continue into the future.”