Cathedral gets stamp of approval for Christmas

The Dean of Armagh, the Very Reverend Shane Forster, with a larger than life stamp

One of Royal Mail’s Christmas stamps may ring some bells for some people in Northern Ireland.

This year’s festive collection features illustrations of five cathedrals, including St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh.

The cathedral has been given a Christmas makeover with carol singers and a good sprinkling of snow.

The Dean of Armagh, the Very Reverend Shane Forster, said he was delighted the cathedral had been chosen and the artist had portrayed a “lovely traditional winter scene”.

The drawing shows light shining out through the cathedral’s stained-glass windows

The drawings are the work of Cornwall-based artist Judy Joel.

Dean Forster said she was to be congratulated for creating a very special set of seasonal stamps which send out a message of joy and hope at Christmas.

“The cathedrals that feature on the stamps stand as symbols of faith at the very centre of each picture and at the heart of their local communities,” he added.

St Patrick’s will feature on the second class large Christmas stamp.

Another one from Northern Ireland?

The other cathedrals included in the collection are Liverpool, Bangor, Westminster and Edinburgh.

Alas, it is not the Bangor of County Down. While it may now be a city, it does not have a cathedral.

The Bangor in question is the one in Wales, which has St Deiniol's Cathedral.

The history of St Patrick's

St Patrick's Cathedral is one of two cathedrals that the city of Armagh is known for.

The Church of Ireland cathedral stands on the hill from which the city derives its name - Ard Mhacha, the Height of Macha.

St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral sits less than half a mile away on the neighbouring hill.

According to tradition, St Patrick came to Armagh and asked the local chieftain for the land to build a church.

After initially being refused, he was given the site and built his first church in 445 AD.

The current Church of Ireland cathedral sits on the same land as the original church built by St Patrick, which he ordained should have pre-eminence over all the churches of Ireland.

To this day Armagh remains the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland.