Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Goa's Daugim Cross
The two 36-inch refracting lenses in the Lick Observatory telescope are among the largest ever built.
James Lick’s Grave
The Lagoda
Human figures at Miculla Petroglyphs
Miculla Petroglyphs
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
about 16 hours ago
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
3 days ago
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
4 days ago
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Northern Ireland Downpatrick The Grave of St. Patrick

The Grave of St. Patrick

A boulder in the Churchyard of Down Cathedral marks the legendary burial place of "The Apostle of Ireland."

Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

Added By
Marcus Harper
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
The Grave of St. Patrick   Talbot von Sregor / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Legend has it that when Saint Patrick died he was buried in the Hill of Down in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland during the 5th century. Since the 12th century, a cathedral has sat on top of the hill.

Over the centuries, the church was destroyed, fell into ruin, and rebuilt several times with the changing of religious and political winds. The Anglo-Norman knight, John de Courcy, claimed to have gathered the relics of Saint Brigit and Saint Columba and buried them on the hill along with those of St Patrick. For over 1,600 years, Downpatrick has been the site of various religious pilgrimages. 

In the early 1900s, so many pilgrims were removing soil from the holy site that a large granite slab was installed to stop the practice. The boulder has the inscription of a Celtic cross and the name "Patrick" carved upon it. Nearby stands a Celtic cross that dates from the 10th or 11th century.

Today, Down Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the historic and religious center of Downpatrick. Nearby at the bottom of the hill is the Saint Patrick Centre, where visitors can learn more about the life of St. Patrick at the only permanent exhibit in the world dedicated to Ireland's most famous saint. 

Related Tags

Graves Saints Religion Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

The Hill of Down and Down Cathedral is at the center of Downpatrick and easy to find upon arrival. Downpatrick is approximately 20 miles (33 kilometers) south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland.

Community Contributors

Added By

Talbot von Sregor

Published

March 24, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • downcathedral.org
  • saintpatrickcentre.com
The Grave of St. Patrick
35 English St
Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, BT30 6AB
United Kingdom
54.327577, -5.721811
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Inch Abbey

Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

miles away

Tullyboard Windmill

Portaferry, Northern Ireland

miles away

Saint Cooey's Well

Ards, Northern Ireland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Downpatrick

Downpatrick

Northern Ireland

Places 2

Nearby Places

Inch Abbey

Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

miles away

Tullyboard Windmill

Portaferry, Northern Ireland

miles away

Saint Cooey's Well

Ards, Northern Ireland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Downpatrick

Downpatrick

Northern Ireland

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

The Color of St. Patrick's Day Wasn't Always Green

saints

By Bryan McGovern

Related Places

  • St. Aloysius Gonzaga Skull

    Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy

    St. Aloysius Gonzaga Skull

    The skull of this patron saint is kept in a shrine located in his hometown.

  • The Church of Saint Sylvester on Mount Soratte.

    Rome, Italy

    Hermitage of Saint Sylvester

    This hermitage celebrates the legend of Emperor Constantine's healing from leprosy.

  • The altar inside the Church of San Domenico Maggiore.

    Naples, Italy

    Tomb of the First Bishop of New York

    Richard Luke Concanen never set foot on American soil.

  • Athens, Greece

    Church of Agia Kyriaki

    A tiny Greek Orthodox church from the Ottoman era hides on a busy city street.

  • Plaque on the keramat.

    Singapore

    Keramat Iskandar Shah

    A venerated grave atop an ancient royal hill, often attributed to the last king of Singapura.

  • Carndonagh, Ireland

    Saint Patrick's High Cross

    This rare and ancient Christian relic is one of Ireland’s oldest freestanding stone crosses.

  • Sarsina Cathedral

    Sarsina, Italy

    Sarsina Cathedral

    The collar worn by a fourth-century saint resides in this church, and is still used for blessings to this day.

  • Warsaw, Poland

    Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery

    The final resting place of more than 200,000 people, this is one of the largest cemeteries in Europe.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.