Dublin: Irish Catholics are eagerly awaiting Pope Leo’s decision on one of the longest-running issues in the history of the Archdiocese of Dublin—the designation of an official Catholic cathedral for the city. The community hopes the Vatican will finally resolve the 500-year-old question that has persisted since the Reformation.
When Archbishop Dermot Farrell was appointed in 2021, the matter of establishing a permanent cathedral once again came to the fore. After extensive consultation, it was decided to propose St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral as the official cathedral of the Archdiocese, while St. Andrew’s Church on Westland Row would be designated a minor basilica or church of special significance. The proposal has been submitted to the Vatican for approval, and many expect Pope Leo to make a formal decision during the bicentenary celebrations of St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral this year.
Following the rise of Protestantism and the imposition of the Penal Laws, Dublin’s Catholic community was left without a cathedral. In 1825, St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral was built on Marlborough Street as a temporary solution—a role it continues to serve two centuries later. The faithful now hope that its formal recognition as the city’s cathedral will mark a historic moment for Irish Catholicism.
Originally, plans had been made to build the cathedral on O’Connell Street, on the site now occupied by the General Post Office (GPO). However, following the 1798 Rebellion, restrictive laws against Catholics remained in place, leading to the decision to construct the church discreetly on Marlborough Street. “It was meant to be temporary,” explained Fr. Kieran McDermott, the cathedral administrator. “That’s why the word ‘Pro’—meaning provisional—was added.”
Before the Reformation, the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin was Christ Church Cathedral, founded in 1030 and elevated in 1152 when Archbishop Gregory became the first to hold the title under papal authority. However, after the Church of Ireland separated from Rome, both Christ Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedral became Anglican properties. Nearly five centuries later, Christ Church remains the seat of the Church of Ireland’s Archbishop of Dublin, while St. Patrick’s serves as its national cathedral.
The architect of St. Mary’s remains uncertain, but the letter “P” inscribed on the building has led experts to believe it may have been designed by Louis-Hippolyte Lebas, a French architect who worked under Napoleon Bonaparte. The building’s design bears a striking resemblance to Paris’s Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, one of Lebas’s most celebrated works.
Efforts to construct a new, permanent cathedral have been made over the years. In the 1930s, an architectural competition was even held for a proposed cathedral in Merrion Square, but the plan was never realised.
The crypt of the Pro-Cathedral contains the remains of nearly 1,000 people, including former archbishops and members of prominent Catholic families such as the Corballys and Sweetmans. Over its 200-year history, the Pro-Cathedral has been a national landmark and an important symbol of Catholic perseverance in Ireland. It was also visited by Pope Francis during his 2018 visit to the country.
In recent years, however, drug use and anti-social behaviour in the surrounding North Inner City have posed challenges for the church. Despite these difficulties, the Archdiocese is preparing to celebrate in full if the Vatican grants formal cathedral status.
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