The present Parish Church was opened in 1844 and was very much a labour of love by the people of Wicklow who had great pride in this Gothic masterpiece.  Local farmers laboriously drew the stone from quarries and sailors transported limestone from Skerries Co. Dublin.  Porters Guide to Wicklow describes it as follows “ The Catholic church is a magnificent structure on an eminence overlooking the town and bay, and is a lasting monument to the piety, munificence and sacrifices of the people of Wicklow.  There are many beautiful churches in the Diocese of Dublin, but few can compare with Wicklow. Viewed from Church Hill, it looks like a continental cathedral, and the interior decorations are very artistic, a special feature of which is the beautiful ceiling”.  The church provides a beautiful setting for our large and growing worshipping community drawn from a town population of over 10,000.
In the gardens of the Parochial House are the ruins of a Franciscan Friary known locally as “ The Abbey “.  According to Archdall’s Monastico Hibernicum the Abbey was founded in the reign of King Henry 111 (1216-1272). In these same gardens there also runs a small river which was the only source of fresh water for the Vikings who landed near the town and from whom it’s anglicised  name derives “ Wykynlo” meaning Viking Loch.