St Patricks Church, Templepatrick

A brief history:

The church of Patrick may have existed from the 5th century in this part of the Six Mile Water valley. The Holy Well at which converts were reputedly baptised by Patrick was still in existence in the early 20th century. It is thought that the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, or Knights Templar, took over an existing church in the 12th century and nearby built their Priory. The Priory of Templepatrick was their principal house in Connor diocese and was situated within the grounds of the present Castle Upton. Only the cemetery containing the Mausoleum of the Templetown family remains today.

The present parish church in Templepatrick was originally dedicated to St John, possibly because of the association with the Knights of St John. The dedication was changed in 1886 by Bishop Reeves and it became St Patrick’s. Consecrated in 1827, it was built at a cost of £830, a gift from the Board of First Fruits. In 1889 a new chancel, East window, vestry room and organ chamber were added and at the West end of the building a baptistry, choir vestry and porch. This was possible through the generosity of members of the Templetown family. All these improvements are recorded as having cost £900.

Restoration work was completed in 1993 after an extensive outbreak of dry rot was discovered. During the restoration some faint traces of a large mural were found on the north wall, and also uncovered were wrought iron roof arches similar to those in other churches built in the early 19th century.