Down Cathedral
Tradition has it that St. Patrick brought Christianity to this part of the country in the early part of the fifth century. Down Cathedral was chosen as the burial site of St. Patrick when it was decided that two untamed oxen would be allowed to roam freely and wherever they stand still, there a church would be erected and St. Patrick buried. The oxen chose Dun Lethglaisse (Downpatrick).
| Chronology (taken from the Down Cathedral booklet) | |
|---|---|
| 432 | Arrival of Patrick in Ireland |
| 461 | Death of Patrick |
| 753 | Death of Scannlan, first recoded Abbot |
| 1016 | A stone church and round tower burned by lightening |
| 1148 | Death of Malachy, first reforming Bishop |
| 1177 | Arrival of John de Courcy |
| 1183 | Founding of Benedictine Monastery dedicated to Saint Patrick |
| 1220 | Monks petition Henry III, referring to the building of their Cathedral |
| 1316 | Cathedral plundered during Bruce wars |
| 1541 | Suppression and dissolution of monasteries |
| 1609 | Grant of Charter to Cathedral by James I |
| 1790 | Commencement of restoration by Wills Hill, first Marquees of Downshire and Dean William Annesley |
| 1818 | Cathedral consecration for Divine Worship |
| 1829 | Completion of tower |
| 1870 | Disestablishment of Church of Ireland and consequent loss of endowments by the Cathedral |
| 1958 | Revival of Saint Patrick's Pilgrimage Service |
| 1986/7 | Complete restoration of Cathedral at a cost of £750,000 |
The exact spot of St. Patrick's burial cannot be certain, however a commemorative granite slab from the Mourne Mountains was placed in the grounds in 1900 as a reminder to us all that St. Patrick, our patron saint, was in fact buried somewhere on the site.
A Celtic Monastery is though to have been established of the hill of St. Patrick's burial during the 600 years after his death. The earliest indication of this however is in 753AD with the death of the Abbot of Down.
The Vikings raided and destroyed the monastery on many occasions, by 1016 the monastery and the round tower had been destroyed, and rebuilt.
1790 saw the beginning of the restoration of the Cathedral. Even then it was widely known fact that in the Cathedral grounds lay the body of St. Patrick. This knowledge led to the Cathedral becoming a major site of pilgrimage for people all over Ireland who wished to visit and worship their Patron saint.
John de Courcy sent by King Henry II in 1177 saw great opportunity in coming to Ireland, in particular County Down to conquer the northern part of the island. And he founded a number of monasteries in the are and in 1180 de Courcy built Killyleagh Castle in the neighbouring town
Initially De Courcy encountered little resistance when
he came to Dun Lethglaisse. Later there were two Great Battles of Down
fought in 1177. The second battle was fought on the feast day of St.
John the Baptist, De Courcy's achievement on that day has been described
to be in the same league as William the Conqueror at Hastings. De Courcy
became the chief conqueror of Ulster - he had to fight seven battles
to attaining this position 
