St Audoen's Church (Church of Ireland)

On High Street in Dublin’s Liberties, St Audoen’s is the city’s oldest parish church still in use. Built around 1190, it preserves medieval fabric and offers a quiet place to explore the city’s past. Inside, look for medieval objects and the so-called Lucky Stone, an older slab of granite marked with a Greek cross. The church’s bells have rung for centuries, and staff can share stories about the building and medieval Dublin. Entry is free.

A church founded in medieval Dublin

St Audoen’s stands on High Street in the Liberties, south of the River Liffey and close to Dublinia and Christ Church Cathedral. The church was built around 1190 by the Anglo-Normans, who had settled in Dublin after 1172. It takes its name from St Ouen, also known as Audoen, a seventh-century saint from Rouen in Normandy.

The site may have had an earlier church dedicated to St Columcille. That earlier building is thought to date from the seventh century, but its presence here is not certain. St Audoen’s is the oldest parish church in Dublin still in use, and a rare place to see the city’s medieval architecture in its original setting.

Medieval fabric and objects

The church retains original medieval features, making its structure part of the visit. An exhibition inside displays medieval objects. Look for the Lucky Stone, a granite slab engraved with a Greek cross. It dates to the eighth or ninth century and is thought to have once served as a tombstone.

The building has had periods of decline. By 1825 it was in poor condition, and parts of the church were closed or had lost their roofs. Its surviving medieval fabric gives a sense of how much of the original structure remains, even after those difficult years.