St Audoen’s Church, Dublin

St Audoen's Church, Dublin tickets: which one to buy

Saint Audoen's Church stands on High Street in Dublin's medieval quarter, a few minutes' walk west of Christ Church Cathedral, and it is the oldest parish church in the city still in use, belonging to the Church of Ireland. The church is managed as a heritage site by the Office of Public Works, and access to the visitor centre, which includes an exhibition and guided tours, is free, usually from spring to autumn.

The church is an easy stop on a walk through medieval Dublin, together with Christ Church Cathedral, Dublinia, which recreates Viking and medieval Dublin, and Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Next door stands a later Catholic church also called Saint Audoen's, which is a different building. Steps beside the church lead down through Saint Audoen's Arch, the only surviving gate of the old city walls. The visitor entrance is on High Street, beside the Catholic church of the same name.

Visiting St Audoen's Church, Dublin: what to see

The church was built by the Anglo-Normans around 1190 and dedicated to Saint Ouen, or Audoen, a seventh-century bishop of Rouen in Normandy. It was enlarged in the fifteenth century, when the chapel of Saint Anne was added for the guilds of Dublin. Parts of the church are now roofless ruins, while the western part, including the tower, still holds services. The tower contains six bells, three of which, cast in 1423, are the oldest bells in Ireland. In the porch stands the Lucky Stone, an early Christian grave slab that, according to legend, brought good luck to merchants who touched it.

Inside, the church has medieval tombs, including the Portlester monument, with effigies of a knight and his wife, and a Norman font. The exhibition in the Saint Anne's chapel explains the history of the guilds and medieval Dublin. The surviving section of the city wall runs below the churchyard. Memorial plaques and grave slabs line the walls of the nave, and the medieval stonework of the ruined chancel can be seen from the garden. The churchyard offers views of the surviving medieval city wall and gate. The exhibition includes carved medieval stones and tomb fragments. Guides explain the role of the church in the lives of the Dublin guilds.

St Audoen's Church, Dublin opening hours and the best time to go

The visitor centre is open from spring to autumn, with guided tours, and access may be limited in winter. The church itself holds services on Sundays. Dublin is busy in summer and around Saint Patrick's Day on 17 March, when the city is packed with visitors and parades. The weather is mild but often rainy, so the church and nearby museums make good indoor stops. The Guinness Storehouse is about fifteen minutes' walk west. Allow about thirty minutes for the church, the exhibition and the city wall, and continue to Christ Church Cathedral and Dublinia. Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty Library, with manuscripts from around the world, are about ten minutes' walk east.