The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul was built between 1828 and 1861, designed by the architect Dominic Madden. Construction of the church was largely halted during the Great Famine. The church tower was completed in 1874. The parish church was elevated to pro-cathedral status in 1889, and to cathedral status in 1990.
The monastery of Dysert O'Dea is said to have been founded by Saint Tola in the 8th century. Most of the ruins of the Romanesque structure visible today date mainly from the 12th century. The remains of the monastic site include the church of St. Tola, a round tower, St. Tola's well and a high cross, known as the Cross of St. Tola. The cross was knocked down by Cromwellian soldiers but repaired in 1683. In 1960 the cross was temporarily dismantled and shipped to Barcelona for an exhibition of Irish art.
The Cathedral of St Fachanan is an ancient cathedral that was originally an abbey church. St Fachanan founded a monastery on the site in the 6th century. The monastery went through a difficult period in the Middle Ages, being looted and burned. Rebuilt several times, the abbey church was repaired to its present form in the 1830s. The transept was fitted with a glass roof in 2005 to protect the remains of the three high crosses moved there.
St Mary's Cathedral, founded in 1168, is the cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Limerick. The last King of Munster, Domnall Mór Ua Briain (1168-1194), is believed to have founded the present cathedral on the site of his palace on King's Island in 1168. The tower of St. Mary's Cathedral was added in the 14th century.
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