St Anne's Cathedral

Belfast


Built in imposing Hiberno-Romanesque style, St Anne's Cathedral was started in 1899 but did not reach its final form until 1981. As you enter you'll see that the black-and-white marble floor is laid out in a maze pattern – the black route leads to a dead end, the white to the sanctuary and salvation. Tours run at 10am, noon, 2pm and 4pm Monday to Saturday, or pick up a leaflet for a self-guided tour.

The nave's 10 pillars are topped by carvings symbolising aspects of Belfast life; look out for the Freemasons' pillar (the central one on the south side). In the south aisle is the tomb of Unionist hero Sir Edward Carson (1854–1935). In the baptistry, the stunning mosaic of The Creation contains 150,000 pieces of coloured glass; it and the mosaic above the west door are the result of seven years' work by sisters Gertrude and Margaret Martin.