| St. Patrick's Well | |
|---|---|
Tobar Phádraig | |
 Cross and church | |
  St. Patrick's Well | |
| 52°21′27″N7°45′08″W / 52.357606°N 7.752318°W Coordinates: 52°21′27″N7°45′08″W / 52.357606°N 7.752318°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Tradition | Roman Rite |
St. Patrick's Well is a medieval Christian site located in County Tipperary, Ireland, consisting of a holy well, 12th-century church and an ancient stone cross. [1]
St. Patrick's Well is located in the Marlfield area, about 3.6 km (2.2 mi) west of Clonmel town centre.
Traditional history links the site with Saint Patrick, who proselytised Ireland in the 5th century. [2] It is mentioned in a 10th-century Life of Declan of Ardmore, so it was active at that time. From the 12th to 16th centuries, St. Patrick's Well belonged to nearby Inislounaght Abbey. [3] The crudeness of the stone cross has led to the belief that it is early. [4]
In 1617, Nicholas Fagan, Abbot of Inislounaght was buried at St. Patrick's. The earliest reference to pilgrimage at the site was as late as 1619, when Pope Paul V granted a plenary indulgence to all pilgrims visiting St Patrick's Church, provided they went to confession, took the Eucharist and visited the church on Pentecost or St. Patrick's Day, any time from Vespers to sunset. [3]
The Ordnance Survey letters, written by John Donovan who visited the site in the 1840s, say "it is still esteemed holy and visited by pilgrims far and near for the cure of disease especially headaches." [3]
In 1914 Power described the well as a "great basin filled to the brim with bubbling crystal water.., close by it in the march is a stunted, rude and early celtic cross which marks a penitential station." Early 20th century photographs of the well show it surrounded by a low circular enclosing wall with a large ash tree growing out of the side. [5] The remodelling of the site began in 1956 with the addition of the statue of St Patrick. In the late 1960s, the local St. Patrick's Day Society had the site remodelled; funding was provided by Sam Yorty, Mayor of Los Angeles, whose mother was from Clonmel. Additional funding came from Armand Hammer and the Irish-Israeli Society. [3]
At the centre of the lake is an undecorated early medieval stone cross. [6]
The well emerges from an underground stream. It flows through two long hallowed-out granite spouts, similar to those at St. Brigid's Well, Kildare. The stones have been identified as flumes from an early medieval horizontal watermill. [3] Local tradition claimed that the water never froze over in winter. [7]
A rectangular limestone church with a high gable, it may have been used as a medieval parish church and continued as a place of Church of Ireland worship until the 18th century. The exterior has been re-pointed and restored. Within the church is a late medieval altar tomb, which came from the White Mortuary Chapel in St Mary's Church, Clonmel; it was brought here after the chapel was demolished in 1805. [3]
A Romanesque fragment survives: a sandstone coign with chevron carvings, similar to that at Clonmacnoise. [8] Window heads and an armorial plaque from Inislounaght Abbey are incorporated into the east wall. [3]
Clonmel is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Drogheda and Wexford. With the exception of the townland of Suir Island, most of the borough is situated in the civil parish of "St Mary's" which is part of the ancient barony of Iffa and Offa East.
Egeria, Etheria, or Ætheria was a Western European Christian woman, widely regarded to be the author of a detailed account of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land about 381/2–386. The long letter, dubbed Peregrinatio or Itinerarium Egeriae, is addressed to a circle of women at home. Historical details it contains set the journey in the early 380s, making it the earliest of its kind. It survives in fragmentary form in a later copy—lacking a title, date and attribution.
Aughagower or Aghagower is a small village in rural County Mayo in western Ireland. It is located about 6 km from Westport. Aughagower has around 40 houses, 1 pub and a shop, with a clear view of Croagh Patrick from Reek View. It also forms the centre of a parish of the same name which covers an area of 86.1 square miles. The village is known for its links to Saint Patrick and Tóchar Phádraig, the pilgrimage route from Ballintubber Abbey to Croagh Patrick.
A pattern in Irish Roman Catholicism refers to the devotions that take place within a parish on the feast day of the patron saint of the parish, on that date, called a Pattern day, or the nearest Sunday, called Pattern Sunday. In the case of a local folk saint from Celtic Christianity, there may be archaeological remains traditionally associated with the saint, such as holy wells reputed to have healing powers. Often the parish priest will say Mass or lead prayers at such a site, sometimes processing between several locations. In some parishes, Pattern Sunday coincides with Cemetery Sunday, an annual ancestor veneration observance held in cemeteries which typically includes the cleaning and decoration of family graves as well as religious rituals.
Tubrid or Tubbrid was formerly a civil and ecclesiastical parish situated between the towns of Cahir and Clogheen in County Tipperary, Ireland. A cluster of architectural remains at the old settlement still known as Tubrid includes an ancient cemetery and two ruined churches of regional historical significance.
Inislounaght Abbey, also referred to as Innislounaght, Inislounacht and De Surio, was a 12th-century Cistercian settlement on the river Suir, near Clonmel in County Tipperary, Ireland. It was originally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.
Marlfield is a village three kilometres west of Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland. It is within the townlands of Marlfield and Inishlounaght. It replaced an older settlement named Abbey, which had developed near the 12th century Cistercian community of Inislounaght Abbey.
The Chapel of St Non is located on the coast near St David's in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. Held by tradition to mark the birthplace of St David, the ruin cannot be accurately dated but is unusual in that it is aligned north–south rather than the usual east–west. Near to the ruined chapel is a retreat, a modern chapel and a holy well. The site was protected in the 1950s and is now the responsibility of the Welsh Heritage organisation Cadw.
Ullard Church is a medieval church and National Monument in County Kilkenny, Ireland.
Clone Church is a Romanesque medieval church and National Monument in County Wexford, Ireland.
St. Cronan's Church is a 10th-century Church of Ireland church in Tuamgraney, County Clare, Ireland. It is the oldest church in continuous use in Ireland. The Tuamgraney parish operates as a unit with the Mountshannon parish in the Killaloe Union of parishes in the Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe.
The Main Guard is a National Monument and former courthouse located in Clonmel, Ireland.
St. Manchan's Oratory, also called An Teampall Geal is a medieval oratory and National Monument in County Kerry, Ireland.
Inchagoill is an island in Lough Corrib, Ireland. Its Christian ruins constitute an Irish National Monument. The island name means "Island of the devout foreigner."
St. Macdara’s Island is a small island on which stands a medieval Christian monastery and National Monument. It is located off the coast of County Galway, Ireland. It is often traditionally called St. Macdara’s Island.
Drumacoo is a medieval ecclesiastical site and National Monument located in County Galway, Ireland.
Reenconnell is a medieval Christian site and National Monument located on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland.
St David's Church, Naas is a Church of Ireland church in Naas, Ireland.
Killashee Round Tower is an Irish round tower that forms part of the monastic remnants of Killashee, County Kildare, Ireland. On the Record of Monuments and Places its number is KD024-003.
Kilgeever Abbey or church is situated just outside Louisburgh in the parish of Kilgeever, in the barony of Murrisk, County Mayo. The site consists of a ruined church, a graveyard and a holy well, where pilgrimages or patterns take place. The site is part of the Clew Bay Archaeological Trail. The church is a multi-period church containing a late medieval doorway. The graveyard on the site is suggested to be from Early Christian times and continues to be in use. Within the graveyard, there is a pillar stone incised with a cross, the graveyard also contained a free-standing stone and a portable stone cross with incised crosses which are now in private ownership.