St Patrick
Ballymena, County Antrim
The tower at over 90 feet is one of the highest vantage points in Ballymena and is one of the few remaining seven towers of Ballymena.
The church is a traditional 19th century stone building comprising a nave, aisles, apse, reredos, and side altars. The walls of the apse and the floor of the sanctuary have a mosiac finish. The painted sanctuary ceiling with its 33 decorated panels depict Jesus as the Lamb of God, the four Evangelists and Angels holding instruments of the Crucifixion with the original altar depicting Mary and Jesus with Angels.
The new altar which was added in 2012 was positioned to express the fact that the congregation gathers around it and the floor tiling around the altar reads 'Salvator mundi salva nos' which means 'Saviour of the World Save us'. The inscriptions on the cornice around the church, which were restored between 1999 and 2012, reveal texts from Psalm 83 and 95 and readings from the Gospels. The beautiful stained glass windows above the altar depict the Crucifixion and those present. The others depict Our Lady, St Joseph and many Irish Saints.
