Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Turn your back on St. Patrick's Cross, and walk about 100 feet slightly uphill along the
gravel path beside the cathedral. Roughly opposite the far end of the Hall of the Vicars
Choral is the entry to...
Cormac's Chapel:
As the wild Celtic Christian church was reined in and reorgan-
ized by Rome 850 years ago, new architectural influences from continental Europe began
to emerge on the remote Irish landscape. This small chapel—Ireland's first and finest
Romanesque church, consecrated in 1134 by King Cormac MacCarthy—reflects this evol-
ution. Travel in your imagination back to the 12th century, when this chapel and the tall
round tower were the only stone structures on the Rock.
The “new” Romanesque style reflected the ancient Roman basilica floor plan. Its
columns and rounded arches created an overall effect of massiveness and strength.
Romanesque churches were like dark fortresses, with thick walls, squat towers, few win-
dows, and minimal decoration. Irish stone churches of this period (like the one at Glend-
alough in the Wicklow Mountains) were simple rectangular buildings with no ornate stone
carving at all.
