Christ Church Cathedral – Dublin Art Print

Description

The proper name of the rambling Gothic church in this vintage style art print is the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. But to most in Dublin this landmark church is known simply as Christ Church Cathedral. I will always have a soft spot for grand old rambling churches like this one. There’s something genuinely organic about the architecture of old cathedrals. After all they often took generations to construct initially, and in that time those plans evolved and changed along with changing styles. Never mind the myriad of renovations that took place afterward where new styles were grafted on to older cathedrals. One wonders how often the final product ever truly fit the original designs?

In the case of Christ Church Cathedral, I’ve read that the church we see today bears little of its medieval roots. In Victorian times, Christ Church Cathedral was literally collapsing. The decision was made to rebuild the old church. As seems to be common of the Victorian era, the results of Christ Church Cathedral’s renovation are much more Gothic Revival architecture than an historically faithful reconstruction. There’s a part of me that would love to see the original medieval church, but I personally love Gothic Revival. It’s sort of a fairy tale architecture in my mind.

With this Victorian fantasy in mind, I decided to give this art print of Christ Church Cathedral a whimsical textured treatment. I wanted it to feel like an old picture on parchment that’s spent years yellowing. The vintage coloring and style of my artwork ends up being as romanticized as the Victorian architecture it features.

Have you stared up at the towering Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin? Or is it the vintage fantasy styling of this Irish print that most speaks to you?