Built on a sandstone spur, the complex includes, among others; Cormac's Chapel and the splendid carved cross, called St. Patrick's. According to legend, St. Patrick's Rock is an enormous rock that fell into the devil's mouth at the sight of St. Patrick. Building of Cormac's Chapel began in 1127 in Romanesque style (probably the first Romanesque church in Ireland) and consecrated in 1134.
The church is made up of a nave, chorus with blind arches and barrel vaults, in addition to 2 square towers, in which the influence of German Romanesque architecture is evident. This evidence is attributed to the belief according to which, 7 years before the church was built, an abbot of the Irish Church in Germany sent 4 people to Ireland to collect money for his church. The chorus has the only Romanesque frescoes that have survived to this day in all of Ireland; they include a portrayal of the Baptism of Christ.
In the west side of the church there is a 12th Century tomb with a motif made up of small and large snakes, typical Scandinavian ornamental motifs.