Saint Patricks Church
Saint Patricks Church
4.5
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
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4.5
37 reviews
Excellent
19
Very good
15
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3
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0
Summerasalifestyle
Malibu, CA3,591 contributions
Sept 2023 • Solo
St Patrick’s church
I’m in North Ireland so I gotta stop by a church called st Patrick’s. Big heavy building that’s historic and iconic. Busy community center with lots of activities other than mass.
I’m in North Ireland so I gotta stop by a church called st Patrick’s. Big heavy building that’s historic and iconic. Busy community center with lots of activities other than mass.
Written 2 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kmehrotra
Gurugram (Gurgaon), India133 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
I happened to come across St. Patrick's Church after visiting St. Anne's Cathedral. The church is amongst the few house like buildings with a modest entryway, but the inside of the church are far more beautiful. The extensive use of marble makes it look very beautiful and not very old. The altar is beautiful with statues of Mother Mary and Jesus that adorn the various corners of the church.
There was no one inside when I visited the church which was a little discomforting for me. Best part is that the church is easily accessible while exploring the city centre.
The view of the hills from outside the church in the horizon is very beautiful.
There was no one inside when I visited the church which was a little discomforting for me. Best part is that the church is easily accessible while exploring the city centre.
The view of the hills from outside the church in the horizon is very beautiful.
Written 16 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
letterkennycaint
Letterkenny, Ireland12,167 contributions
Sept 2014 • Solo
You can find this Catholic church on the top of Donegall St, at the Crumlin road end, and it's well worth a visit. However, it has become a flashpoint over the last couple of years, with the Orange Order playing sectarian songs, while marching in circles outside. Several protests against the parades have been held there, and police officers were hurt in the clashes.
It was opened in 1877 and it's modelled on a church in Thomas Street, Dublin. It has a two ton bell, and the spire and cross rise to 180 feet. On my visit last Sunday, the doors were wide open, but there wasn't a soul around, and it was nice to have the place to myself to explore. Only about 10 minutes walk from City Hall.
It was opened in 1877 and it's modelled on a church in Thomas Street, Dublin. It has a two ton bell, and the spire and cross rise to 180 feet. On my visit last Sunday, the doors were wide open, but there wasn't a soul around, and it was nice to have the place to myself to explore. Only about 10 minutes walk from City Hall.
Written 1 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GrubloverBelfast
Belfast41 contributions
May 2017 • Friends
We approached St Patrick's Church somewhat tentatively as it is currently sheathed in scaffolding and builders hoardings, but once inside, what a revelation! An almost perfect Victorian Church with an atmosphere of calm just off one of Belfast's main streets that was unexpected and drew us to linger.
Inside is a forest of lovely pillars on different stone that rise like a Gothic tropical forest upwards to an oak ceiling. We encountered a very helpful sacristan who explained that the church had almost been destroyed about twenty years previously and had been rebuilt and restored in the process. The place is lofty yet somehow intimate: there are little places of prayer throughout and the atmosphere of quiet devotion is enhanced by the flickering of candles which people come in to light all through the day. The sacristan pointed out the "high altar" which was carved by the father of Irish Patriot and Revolutionary, Padraig Pearse; the baptismal font which belonged to an earlier church on the same site at which upwards of a million people have been baptised; the statues where immigrants prayed before departing to America; and the huge painting of The Blessed Virgin Mary and two Irish saints painted by the celebrated portrait painter to the rich and powerful, Sir John Lavery - himself a Belfast native baptised in the same church to whom he gave this painting as a gesture of gratitude. Prince Charles of England and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, came to visit recently. Wow!
The church is currently in the midst of a huge refurb - the tower is being restored. And Ulster University is being built behind it. We were told that the priests here are charismatic preachers and the services are very beautiful with a choir at noon on Sunday and a service by candle light on Sunday evening. We didn't have time to attend.
St Patrick's glows with history and a deeply spiritual sense. How different from the cavernous and empty Belfast Cathedral only one hundred yards away! And - unlike it, we were able to enter and wander around free of charge. I almost went back to ask for my money back - but my wife gave me one of those looks; and went on to Belfast Gaol for the tour there.
St Patrick's. So glad we called by. Wonderful place. A must-see. Worth going out of your way to visit. Which won't be necessary since it's on one of the main streets.
Inside is a forest of lovely pillars on different stone that rise like a Gothic tropical forest upwards to an oak ceiling. We encountered a very helpful sacristan who explained that the church had almost been destroyed about twenty years previously and had been rebuilt and restored in the process. The place is lofty yet somehow intimate: there are little places of prayer throughout and the atmosphere of quiet devotion is enhanced by the flickering of candles which people come in to light all through the day. The sacristan pointed out the "high altar" which was carved by the father of Irish Patriot and Revolutionary, Padraig Pearse; the baptismal font which belonged to an earlier church on the same site at which upwards of a million people have been baptised; the statues where immigrants prayed before departing to America; and the huge painting of The Blessed Virgin Mary and two Irish saints painted by the celebrated portrait painter to the rich and powerful, Sir John Lavery - himself a Belfast native baptised in the same church to whom he gave this painting as a gesture of gratitude. Prince Charles of England and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, came to visit recently. Wow!
The church is currently in the midst of a huge refurb - the tower is being restored. And Ulster University is being built behind it. We were told that the priests here are charismatic preachers and the services are very beautiful with a choir at noon on Sunday and a service by candle light on Sunday evening. We didn't have time to attend.
St Patrick's glows with history and a deeply spiritual sense. How different from the cavernous and empty Belfast Cathedral only one hundred yards away! And - unlike it, we were able to enter and wander around free of charge. I almost went back to ask for my money back - but my wife gave me one of those looks; and went on to Belfast Gaol for the tour there.
St Patrick's. So glad we called by. Wonderful place. A must-see. Worth going out of your way to visit. Which won't be necessary since it's on one of the main streets.
Written 1 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
auntcar
Yakima, WA19 contributions
Oct 2015 • Solo
Went to St. Patrick's for Sunday mass, but found myself lingering after all the people were gone, just to be in the presence of The Madonna of the Lakes by Sir John Lavery. A cradle Catholic, I'm used to images of Mary that are sweet and consoling. But this painting captured the courage and wisdom I've always imagined the mother of Jesus must have had. If you are an art aficionado or have a devotion to The Blessed Mother, go see this painting. St. Patrick and St. Bridget complete the triptych.
Also of interest, if you go out the main door of the church, turn right and walk a few steps to the rectory, you'll see a brass door with dents in it. Apparently, during the annual Orange Parade, the marchers would stop here and stab at the door to the rectory with their swords as a symbol of their opposition to Catholics. When the peace agreement was signed in 1998, the Orange Paraders agreed that in future parades they would march in silence, minus any sword play, for a block on either side of St. Patrick's. After you see the door, you might want to go back into St. Patrick's and say a prayer for continuing peace between the Catholics and Protestants in Belfast. That peace is a beautiful thing in the city of Belfast today and will require constant nurturing on both sides if it is to last. Lets pray for that very thing.
Also of interest, if you go out the main door of the church, turn right and walk a few steps to the rectory, you'll see a brass door with dents in it. Apparently, during the annual Orange Parade, the marchers would stop here and stab at the door to the rectory with their swords as a symbol of their opposition to Catholics. When the peace agreement was signed in 1998, the Orange Paraders agreed that in future parades they would march in silence, minus any sword play, for a block on either side of St. Patrick's. After you see the door, you might want to go back into St. Patrick's and say a prayer for continuing peace between the Catholics and Protestants in Belfast. That peace is a beautiful thing in the city of Belfast today and will require constant nurturing on both sides if it is to last. Lets pray for that very thing.
Written 16 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Original T-Bird
Bangor, UK2,935 contributions
Oct 2014 • Solo
St Patrick's church is on Donegall Street - not at the Waring Street end (which is closest to city centre) but at the Clifton Street end. It is a comfortable 10-15 minute walk from the city hall.
The first thing you notice when you approach the gothic church is the spire that stands 180 feet high. Once inside your eyes are drawn immediately to the magnificent white altar that stands so proudly at the front of the parish. There are confessional boxes; stain-glassed windows; shrines & a painting called the “Madonna of the Lakes” that are all worth a look. The large red sandstone arches supported by green granite pillars are very impressive.
The parish apparently serves 7,000 parishioners which is no mean feat. I visited on a Monday morning & was a little surprised by the amount of people sitting quietly praying. I felt very awkward walking around, especially when I reached the front. It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. It was only then I realised my mobile could ring at any moment so had to quickly turn it to silent.
The church first opened in 1877 & is now facing a massive exterior restoration programme to help properly restore the church stones. It is going to approximately cost over £2.7 million so please dig deep with your donations.
The first thing you notice when you approach the gothic church is the spire that stands 180 feet high. Once inside your eyes are drawn immediately to the magnificent white altar that stands so proudly at the front of the parish. There are confessional boxes; stain-glassed windows; shrines & a painting called the “Madonna of the Lakes” that are all worth a look. The large red sandstone arches supported by green granite pillars are very impressive.
The parish apparently serves 7,000 parishioners which is no mean feat. I visited on a Monday morning & was a little surprised by the amount of people sitting quietly praying. I felt very awkward walking around, especially when I reached the front. It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. It was only then I realised my mobile could ring at any moment so had to quickly turn it to silent.
The church first opened in 1877 & is now facing a massive exterior restoration programme to help properly restore the church stones. It is going to approximately cost over £2.7 million so please dig deep with your donations.
Written 31 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BrianDunbar
Dundee, UK204 contributions
Oct 2021
This church is just a short walk from the Crumlin Rd Gaol.The Interior is beautiful. The exterior ain't bad either.
Written 12 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steveodo
Carrickfergus, UK5,722 contributions
Oct 2016 • Solo
OK, I’ll confess to being an artist, and a fan of Sir John Lavery’s paintings. I came across the church at night, on my way home from a hospital visit. The place has scaffolding all over the spire at the moment, but I wanted to see inside. It was open. A coffin was near the front, awaiting a funeral the next day. The artwork I was curious to see was behind glass on the left wall towards the back. Really astonishing, and quite surprising. Lavery adored his second wife Hazel Martyn, and I’d seen his portraits of her in the Ulster Museum, but this was all the more jaw-dropping. He painted her likeness as the face of the Virgin Mary. Wow. On either side are images of his daughter Eileen and step-daughter Helen as St. Brigid and St. Patrick. The triptych is named ‘The Madonna of the Lakes’, and Lavery gave it to this church because he was baptised here, and Hazel and Helen were admitted to this church after converting. There are many other features of the place that are noteworthy, but the painting was for me just a magnificent thing to see.
Written 12 December 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anne Doran
Cork, Ireland343 contributions
Jun 2014 • Friends
We were going to the Robbie Williams concert in the Odyssey on the 14th June and as we were early, we decided to have a quick tour around Belfast first. We arrived to St Anne's Cathedral and we were 15 minutes too late! It was closed. I could see another church from the distance and we decided to continue to walk up Donegall Street and realised it was a church and was Roman Catholic - the church of St Patrick. There were two men outside the church and were very welcoming. The church was lovely decorated. There is lovely nave shrines to the sides. One the right hand side is a Shrine to St Anthony of Padua with a first class relic. On the left is a valuable tiptych which was presented in 1917 to the church by the painter, Sir John Lavery. The tiptych is called "Madonna of the Lakes" and the two men told us that it is worth £4 million. It is behind glass and it is alarmed.
On October 12th 1995, there was a catastrophic fire which destroyed much of the church only a few items survived the fire. The church was reopened by Bishop Patrick Walsh on October 5th 1997. They are still fundraising to try to recoup the cost of rebuilding the church.
This is taken from their website:
The Parish of Saint Patrick sits on the northern side of the City, stretching from the Crumlin and Antrim Roads to the Docks and City Centre with a population of over 7,000 parishioners. Our parish was part of the original Catholic Parish of Belfast, and so we hold many of the sacramental records for the whole city from 1798. Today the parish welcomes a large community, both young and old, of resident parishioners, mid-week workers and people with an attachment to Saint Patrick's at our daily Masses. The celebration of the Eucharist is central to our life as a parish, a worshipping community of faith.
The next time I am in Belfast, I will definitely return
On October 12th 1995, there was a catastrophic fire which destroyed much of the church only a few items survived the fire. The church was reopened by Bishop Patrick Walsh on October 5th 1997. They are still fundraising to try to recoup the cost of rebuilding the church.
This is taken from their website:
The Parish of Saint Patrick sits on the northern side of the City, stretching from the Crumlin and Antrim Roads to the Docks and City Centre with a population of over 7,000 parishioners. Our parish was part of the original Catholic Parish of Belfast, and so we hold many of the sacramental records for the whole city from 1798. Today the parish welcomes a large community, both young and old, of resident parishioners, mid-week workers and people with an attachment to Saint Patrick's at our daily Masses. The celebration of the Eucharist is central to our life as a parish, a worshipping community of faith.
The next time I am in Belfast, I will definitely return
Written 19 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JRMADA
United States3,386 contributions
Aug 2022
This is a beautiful church worth visiting. It is just up the street from the Belfast Cathedral (Church of St. Anne). This is a Catholic Church with a beautiful interior and imposing exterior. Go have a look.
Written 26 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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