Armagh...The spiritual Capital of Ireland for 1500 years and the seat of both Church of Ireland and Catholic archbishops, Armagh is the oldest and most venerated of Irish Cities and has a long Christian heritage.
Saint Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral stands on the hill from which the City of Armagh derives its name – Ard Macha; the height of Macha. It is this hilltop enclosure which St Patrick acquired and within which he built his first ‘Great Stone Church’.
Less than half a mile away, on the adjoining hill, is the sister St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral. Both Cathedrals are part of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s St Patrick’s Signature Trail.
According to tradition, Saint Patrick founded his main church here on the Hill of Armagh in 445AD. There has been a Christian church on the site ever since. Although the building has been renovated many times, even as recently as 2004, the basic shape of the Cathedral is still as conceived by Archbishop O'Scanlon in the twelfth century. It is a modest building with interesting monuments and an 11th-century carved stone high cross.