St. Mary's Abbey, Duleek

Last updated

St. Mary's Abbey, Duleek
Mainistir Mhuire
Tower of St. Mary's Church, Duleek - geograph.org.uk - 757989.jpg
Tower, 15th century
Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Ireland
Monastery information
Order Canons Regular (Arrouaisian)
Established1180
Disestablished1537
Mother house Clonard Abbey
Dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus
Diocese Meath
People
Founder(s) Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath
Architecture
StatusInactive
Heritage designation
Official nameDuleek Church
Reference no.179
Style Norman
Site
LocationCommons, Duleek, County Meath, Ireland
Coordinates 53°39′18″N6°25′08″W / 53.655069°N 6.418806°W / 53.655069; -6.418806
Public accessyes

St. Mary's Abbey is a medieval monastery and National Monument located in Duleek, Ireland. [1]

Contents

Location

St. Mary's Abbey is located in the central part of Duleek called the Commons, between Main Street and Church Lane. The Nanny River is to the southwest.

History

A monastery stood in Duleek from the 5th century. A round tower stood here; it was damaged by lightning in 1147 but survived a few more centuries. [2]

In 1180 Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath granted Duleek (including St. Patrick's Church) to the Canons Regular. However, the surviving buildings are later: the southern arcade is 13th century, the southern aisle and bell tower are 15th century and the main tower and the east gable with window are 16th century. The abbey was shut down in the 1537 Dissolution of the Monasteries.

The Abbey was later used for burials. James Cusack, Catholic Bishop of Meath 1679–88, was buried in an effigial tomb. Also buried here is John Bellew, 1st Baron Bellew of Duleek who died of wounds received at the Battle of Aughrim, and his second son, Richard Bellew, 3rd Baron Bellew of Duleek. Saint Kienan's, a Church of Ireland church, was built next to the old abbey in 1816. [3] [4]

Buildings

All that remains is the south aisle and the tower. The tower survives with four stories with quoins, battered walls, battlements, aumbry and stairs turret. [5] The east window (bearing the arms of Sir John Bellew and Dame Ismay Nugent beneath it) is a 1587 post-Gothic replacement. [6] [7]

In the north wall of the medieval belfry is the scar or shadow of a round tower. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanesque architecture</span> Architectural style of Medieval Europe

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Romanesque is characterized by semicircular arches, while the Gothic is marked by the pointed arches. The Romanesque emerged nearly simultaneously in multiple countries ; its examples can be found across the continent, making it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman architecture. Similarly to Gothic, the name of the style was transferred onto the contemporary Romanesque art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Albans Cathedral</span> Church in Hertfordshire , England

St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, also known as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherborne Abbey</span> Church in Dorset, England

Sherborne Abbey, otherwise the Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England church in Sherborne in the English county of Dorset. It has been a Saxon cathedral (705–1075), a Benedictine abbey church (998–1539), and since 1539, a parish church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malmesbury Abbey</span> Abbey and parish church in Wiltshire, England

Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, is a former Benedictine abbey dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It was one of the few English religious houses with a continuous history from the 7th century through to the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-Saxon architecture</span> English architecture from the mid-5th century to 1066

Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing. No universally accepted example survives above ground. Generally preferring not to settle within the old Roman cities, the Anglo-Saxons built small towns near their centres of agriculture, at fords in rivers or sited to serve as ports. In each town, a main hall was in the centre, provided with a central hearth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunbrody Abbey</span> Ruined Cistercian abbey in Wexford, Ireland

Dunbrody Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in County Wexford, Ireland. The cross-shaped church was built in the 13th century, and the tower was added in the 15th century. With a length of 59m the church was one of the longest in Ireland. The visitor centre is run by the current Marquess of Donegall and has one of only two full sized hedge mazes in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferns, County Wexford</span> Town in Leinster, Ireland

Ferns is a historic town in north County Wexford, Ireland. It is 11 km (7 mi) north of Enniscorthy. The remains of Ferns Castle are in the centre of the town. The town is in a civil parish of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman architecture</span> Styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans

The term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries. In particular the term is traditionally used for English Romanesque architecture. The Normans introduced large numbers of castles and fortifications including Norman keeps, and at the same time monasteries, abbeys, churches and cathedrals, in a style characterised by the usual Romanesque rounded arches and especially massive proportions compared to other regional variations of the style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Church Greyfriars</span> Church in the City of London, United Kingdom

Christ Church Greyfriars, also known as Christ Church Newgate Street, was a church in Newgate Street, opposite St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. Established as a monastic church in the thirteenth century, it became a parish church after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Following its destruction in the Great Fire of London of 1666, it was rebuilt to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren. Except for the tower, the church was largely destroyed by bombing during the Second World War. The decision was made not to rebuild the church; the ruins are now a public garden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Nicholas Church, Kenilworth</span> Church in Kenilworth, England

St Nicholas Church is a Church of England parish church in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malton Priory</span> Church in North Yorkshire, England

Malton Priory, Old Malton, North Yorkshire, England, is near to the town of Malton. It was founded as a monastery of the Gilbertine Order by Eustace fitz John, the lord of Malton Castle. Fitz John founded both Malton Priory and Watton Priory around 1150; some sources suggest that this was an act of penance for his support for the Scots in the Battle of the Standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Priory Church, Deerhurst</span> Church in England, UK

St Mary's Priory Church, Deerhurst, is the Church of England parish church of Deerhurst, Gloucestershire, England. Much of the church is Anglo-Saxon. It was built in the 8th century, when Deerhurst was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. It is contemporary with the Carolingian Renaissance on mainland Europe, which may have influenced it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Peter's Church, Prestbury</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Peter's Church is the parish church of Prestbury, Cheshire, England. It is probably the fourth church on the site. The third, the Norman Chapel, stands in the churchyard. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The Norman Chapel, the lychgate and west wall, the Hearse House, and the sundial in the churchyard are listed at Grade II. It is a Church of England parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the deanery of Macclesfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Leonard's Church, Sandridge</span> Church in Hertfordshire, England


St Leonard's Church is in Sandridge, a village in Hertfordshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church. The building is Grade II* listed: notable features include its chancel arch made from recycled Roman brick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Canice's Cathedral</span> Church of Ireland cathedral in County Kilkenny, Ireland

St Canice's Cathedral, also known as Kilkenny Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Ossory, it is now one of six cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kildare Cathedral</span> Church in County Kildare, Ireland

Kildare Cathedral, or St Brigid's Cathedral in Kildare, is one of two Church of Ireland cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Originally a Catholic cathedral, it was built in the 13th century on the site of an important Celtic Christian abbey, which is said to have been founded by Saint Brigid in the 5th century. The site was taken over by the Protestant Church of Ireland following the Reformation. There is an Irish round tower in the cathedral grounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cranborne Priory</span> Church in England

Cranborne Priory is a former priory church in the village of Cranborne, Dorset, England. Founded in 980 as Cranborne Abbey, it became a priory in 1102, remaining that way until it was dissolved in 1540. The tower, nave and aisles from the priory survive to form the Church of St Mary and St Bartholomew, the parish church of Cranborne. The building, which has fragments from the 12th century, is designated a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's Abbey, Trim</span>

St. Mary's Abbey in Trim, County Meath, Ireland is a former house of Augustinian canons dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The abbey was situated on the north bank of the River Boyne, opposite Trim Castle, on land given to St. Patrick who is often credited with founding the abbey. The abbey was a prominent pilgrimage site, famous for the healing power of its statue of the Virgin Mary, until its dissolution under Henry VIII during the Reformation. Little remains of the abbey except for the Yellow Steeple, the ruin of the abbey bell tower named for the yellow color reflected by the stonework in the setting sun, and Talbot's Castle, an abbey building converted to a manor house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skryne Church</span> Church in County Meath, Ireland

Skryne Church is a ruined medieval church and National Monument in County Meath, Ireland.

References

  1. Andrew Halpin; Conor Newman (2006). Ireland: An Oxford Archaeological Guide to Sites from Earliest Times to AD 1600 . Oxford University Press. pp.  288–9. ISBN   978-0-19-280671-0.
  2. "ME02066 - COMMONS (Duleek Lower By.) - Round tower". 6 December 2012.
  3. "St Mary's Abbey, Duleek, Meath".
  4. "Travelmania Ireland - High Cross and St Mary's Augustinian Abbey, Duleek, County Meath". Archived from the original on 11 September 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. 1 2 "ME02070 - COMMONS (Duleek Lower By.) - Church - MeathHeritage.com". 6 December 2012.
  6. "Duleek - St Mary's Abbey and St. Cianan's Church".
  7. Past, Ed Hannon-Visions of the (9 February 2013). "St Mary's Abbey, Meath, Ireland".