The most beautiful religious buildings Northern Ireland

The site was under British influence throughout the Middle Ages. Now in ruins, the place is worth a visit for its high gothic windows on the east side, the layouts of the chapter house and the refectory which give an idea of the grandeur of the heyday of piety. The marshes around the river Quoile are also interesting to walk around. Fans of Game of Thrones will not miss passing through here, as the place was used as a backdrop for a scene in the series, when the Starks asked to meet the Freys to cross the river!

The current Anglican cathedral replaced the old building, which dated from 1776 and was destroyed. The reconstruction took place in several stages, from 1899 until 2007, when a stainless steel spire was added to the bell tower. Meanwhile a Celtic cross (the largest in Ireland) was incorporated into the pediment and dedicated to the victims of the First World War. It is also the burial place of the Unionist Edward Carson (1854-1935), one of those who worked for peace. The monument is in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter and gave it its name.

Around 432, Saint Patrick was busy converting pagans by the thousands. His charisma was such that a local chief gave him a barn(sabball) to live in while he was in the Strangford Lough area. It is now known as Saul's church and was rebuilt in the 12th century after it was burned by the Vikings. To the north, on the top of a hill (called Slieve Patrick), stands the world's largest statue of St. Patrick. A charming spot, from where one can enjoy beautiful views of the lake

The splendid ruins of Grey Abbey, founded in 1193, are among the finest examples of Anglo-Norman architecture in Northern Ireland and can be the object of a pleasant and bucolic walk. The Cistercian monks also had a great knowledge of plants and their benefits. In this elegant setting, an aromatic garden has been reconstituted by an association of villagers next to the ruined building, with more than forty medicinal essences. A visit not to be missed if one passes in the area!

St Patrick's Church is a neo-Gothic church dating from 1815 in memory of St Patrick, with a bell tower of gigantic proportions that soars towards the Belfast sky, somewhat alone in this street that seems deserted by pedestrians. To get a better general view of the church, one should go to Little Donegall Street (opposite, a parallel street). The effect is striking with the parking lot in front and the old decrepit red brick buildings, the church alone seems to have resisted the passing of time.

St George's is the oldest Anglican church in Ireland (1816). It was once the site of a chapel where historical events related to the conquest of Ireland took place. Oliver Cromwell's troops used the roof as a musket ball, King William III gave a sermon in the pulpit still used today... Later, the IRA attacked the building many times. The building is massive and impressive, somewhat pompous with its pediment and six Corinthian pillars supporting it.

This monastery houses a congregation of Catholic missionaries (the Redemptorists, a movement founded in 1732 in Italy) who do not practice dogma (no baptism, marriage, burial...) but preach the word of Jesus in everyday life and help the poorest. The French Gothic building was built between 1890 and 1911, with an impressive stained glass rose window on the façade (6 meters in diameter). During the political events that agitated the city, this congregation facilitated talks between religious communities.

Built in 1866 to accommodate the growing number of Catholic worshippers, most of whom worked in the linen industry and lived in the Falls Road neighborhoods, Belfast's St. Peter's Cathedral towers over the Gaeltacht Quarter with its two Gothic bell towers (and no less than ten bells). The interior of the building is also in the purest Gothic-Victorian style with a magnificent organ, a mosaic floor, pointed arches supported by marble pillars and stained glass windows with geometric patterns.

After Saint Mary's Church and Saint Patrick's Church, Saint Malachy is the third oldest church in Belfast. Built in 1844, it is considered a typical example of the new development of the Tudor style in Ireland. Romantic inside and out, it contrasts with the grey severity of the other churches. It is especially worth visiting for its molded stucco ceiling, which was inspired by Henry VII's chapel in Westminster Cathedral. White rosettes erected in stalactites give an exceptional relief to the ceiling.