Primacy of Ireland in the context of "Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh"

Play Trivia Questions online!

or

Skip to study material about Primacy of Ireland in the context of "Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh"

Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Primacy of Ireland

The Primacy of Ireland belongs to the diocesan bishops of the Irish dioceses with highest precedence. The Archbishop of Armagh is titled Primate of All Ireland and the Archbishop of Dublin Primate of Ireland, signifying that they are the senior clerics on the island of Ireland, the Primate of All Ireland being the more senior. The titles are used by both the Catholic Church in Ireland and Church of Ireland.

Primate is a title of honour, and in the Middle Ages there was an intense rivalry between Armagh and Dublin as to seniority. The Archbishop of Armagh's leading status was based on the belief that his see was founded by St. Patrick, making Armagh the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland. On the other hand, Dublin, after the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, was the administrative centre of the country, and its largest city. The dispute between the two archbishoprics was settled by Pope Innocent VI in 1353, with occasional brief controversy since. The distinction mirrors that in the Church of England between the Primate of All England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Primate of England, the Archbishop of York.

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<

👉 Primacy of Ireland in the context of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh (Latin: "Archidioecesis Ardmachana"; Irish: "Ard-Deoise Ard Mhacha") is a Latin ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church situated in Northern Ireland. Its ordinary is the Archbishop of Armagh, who serves concurrently as the metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Armagh and holds the title of Primate of All Ireland, the highest-ranking prelate in the Irish Catholic hierarchy.

The mother church of the archdiocese is St Patrick's Cathedral, a site of profound historical and spiritual significance. The archdiocese’s claim to primatial status is rooted in its founding by Saint Patrick circa 445, establishing it as the principal see of Irish Christianity. Its recognition as a metropolitan province was formalized in 1152 by the Synod of Kells, affirming its ecclesial preeminence.

↓ Explore More Topics
In this Dossier

Primacy of Ireland in the context of Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick (Latin: Pātricius; Irish: Pádraig Irish pronunciation: [ˈpˠɑːɾˠɪɟ] or Irish pronunciation: [ˈpˠaːd̪ˠɾˠəɟ]; Welsh: Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints being Brigid of Kildare and Columba. He is also the patron saint of Nigeria. Patrick was never formally canonised by the Catholic Church, having lived before the current laws were established for such matters. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Church of Ireland (part of the Anglican Communion), and in the Eastern Orthodox Church, where he is regarded as equal-to-the-apostles and Enlightener of Ireland.

The dates of Patrick's life cannot be fixed with certainty, but there is general agreement that he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the fifth century. A recent biography on Patrick shows a late fourth-century date for the saint is possible. According to tradition dating from the early Middle Ages, Patrick was the first bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, and is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland (despite evidence of some earlier Christian presence on the island), and converting Ireland from paganism in the process.

↑ Return to Menu

Primacy of Ireland in the context of Armagh

Armagh (/ɑːrˈmɑː/ ar-MAH; Irish: Ard Mhacha, IPA: [ˌaːɾˠd̪ˠ ˈwaxə], "Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All Ireland for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland. In ancient times, nearby Navan Fort (Eamhain Mhacha) was a pagan ceremonial site and one of the great royal capitals of Gaelic Ireland. Today, Armagh is home to two cathedrals (both named after Saint Patrick) and the Armagh Observatory, and is known for its Georgian architecture.

Statistically classed as a medium-sized town by NISRA, Armagh was given city status in 1994 and Lord Mayoralty status in 2012. It had a population of 16,310 people in the 2021 Census.

↑ Return to Menu

Primacy of Ireland in the context of Charles Cobbe

Charles Cobbe (1686 in Swarraton – 1765) was Archbishop of Dublin from 1743 to 1765, and as such was Primate of Ireland.

↑ Return to Menu

Primacy of Ireland in the context of Ecclesiastical capital

The religious capital or ecclesiastical capital of a region is a place considered pre-eminent by the adherents of a particular religion within that region. This is most often significant for the region's predominant religion or state religion, if any. The administrative headquarters of an organised religion may be centralised in a particular location; for example, Rome for the Catholic Church, or Salt Lake City for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In an episcopal church, the site of the cathedral of the primate bishop of an area may be considered its ecclesiastical capital; for example, Armagh is the seat of the primate of All Ireland in both the Catholic church and the Anglican church. Others may be places of pilgrimage, such as Jerusalem for the Abrahamic religions, Mecca for Islam, and Varanasi for Hinduism; or considered religious capitals by being centres of learning, such as Qom for Shia Islam in Iran.

↑ Return to Menu