St Peter's Cathedral

Until the Reformation the cathedral of the Diocese of Down and Connor had been at Downpatrick. However, at the beginning of the 19th century, Belfast was a growing town; and with the appointment of William Crolly in 1825, the episcopal seat moved there. St Peter's was originally envisaged as the parish church for the expanding post-Famine Catholic population of Belfast. The site was provided by a wealthy Belfast flour merchant and philanthropist, Bernard Hughes, while the church was designed by Fr Jeremiah Ryan McAuley, who had trained as an architect before he became a priest.

St. Peter's is mostly built of gray Scrabo sandstone: entrance is by five doorways, two of which are porch entrances. The main entrance, a double doorway, has a sculptured spandril above it showing the Liberation of Peter. Internally there is an arcade of seven arches separating the aisle from the nave. The eighth arch was originally in the sanctuary. The building was opened on 14 October 1866 while the signature twin spires were added in 1886. There is a hammer-beam ceiling with strong and vibrant colours used throughout, a reminder of the building's original appearance. It was built on a scale and with a level of high quality interior decoration that it became known as a pro-cathedral, or…