St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Drogheda, Ireland.

The first Church on the site was built in 1791 to a design by Francis Johnston

Francis Johnston (architect)

See Francis Johnson for English architect of similar name.Francis Johnston was an Irish architect, best known for building the General Post Office on O’Connell Street, Dublin.-Life:...

 and was partly incorporated into the present building one hundred years later. The facade is an imposing structure in the Gothic style, built of local limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

. It is one of the most notable buildings on West St. in the town centre of Drogheda. A detail image of that building is held at the Highlanes Gallery - Drogheda's municipal art gallery, illustrated on a mid 19th Century (ca. 1861) map of the town created by Isaiah Rowland CE, for further information visit Highlanes Gallery

Highlanes Gallery

Highlanes Gallery is a public art gallery and visual arts exhibition centre in Drogheda, Ireland.The gallery opened its doors on October 4th 2006 and was the culmination of many years planning to deliver a dedicated visual arts space for the Irish north east region, of an International standard in...

It is most famous for housing the National Shrine to St. Oliver Plunkett, who was martyr

Martyr

A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...

ed at Tyburn

Tyburn, London

Tyburn was a village in the county of Middlesex close to the current location of Marble Arch in present-day London. It took its name from the Tyburn or Teo Bourne 'boundary stream', a tributary of the River Thames which is now completely covered over between its source and its outfall into the...

 in 1681. The shrine

Shrine

A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....

 is most elaborate and contains the preserved head of the saint. Another showcase displays his shoulder blade and other bones as relics. Also on exhibit is the cell door of Newgate prison

Newgate Prison

Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...

in which he spent his last days.