26th  August 2018 Dublin. Papal visit to Ireland. Image taken at Pope Francis's mass in Phoenix Park, Dublin, to hundreds of thousands in attendance.

Dirk Hudson/Shutterstock

Papal Cross

Dublin


In the centre of Phoenix Park, the Papal Cross marks the site where Pope John Paul II preached to 1.25 million people in 1979. Pope Francis celebrated mass here on the last day of his visit to Ireland in 2018: the attendance was around 130,000, a telling reflection of the changing role of the Catholic Church in Irish society.

Transportation

  • bus: 10 from O'Connell St, 25, 26 from Middle Abbey St

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Dublin attractions

1. Phoenix Monument

0.28 MILES

The Phoenix Monument, a Corinthian column topped by a very un-phoenix-like bird, was erected by Lord Chesterfield in 1747, and is often referred to…

2. Áras an Uachtaráin

0.53 MILES

The official residence of the Irish president, this white Palladian lodge was originally built in 1751 and has been enlarged a couple of times since, most…

3. Phoenix Park

0.64 MILES

The hugely impressive 707 hectares that comprise Dublin's Phoenix Park are not just a magnificent playground for all kinds of sport—from running to polo…

4. Ashtown Castle

0.65 MILES

The restored four-storey Ashtown Castle is a 17th-century tower house that was 'discovered' inside the 18th-century nuncio's mansion when the latter was…

5. Phoenix Park Visitor Centre

0.73 MILES

The Phoenix Park Visitor Centre has a self-guided exhibition on the history and wildlife of the park; you can also arrange and collect tickets for the…

6. Magazine Fort

0.77 MILES

Towards Phoenix Park's Parkgate entrance is Magazine Fort on Thomas' Hill. Built between 1734 and 1801, the fort served as an occasional arms depot for…

7. Strawberry Beds

1.03 MILES

Running alongside the northern banks of the Liffey between the villages of Chapelizod and Lucan, roughly along the western edge of Phoenix Park, is the…

8. War Memorial Gardens

1.07 MILES

Hardly anyone ever ventures this far west, but they're missing a lovely bit of landscaping in the shape of the War Memorial Gardens – by our reckoning as…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "ireland/dublin/attractions/papal-cross/a/poi-sig/1353617/359796",
      "destination": "Dublin",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Ireland",
      "city": "Dublin",
      "position": "superzone"
    }