Rosserk Friary is a friary located in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

. Located along the river Moy, the friary was set up by the

third order of Franciscans The Third Order of Saint Francis, or Franciscan Tertiaries, is the third order of the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi. Francis founded the Third Order, originally called th ...

History

Rosserk Friary is one of the largest and best preserved of the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Friaries in Ireland. It was founded by the Joye family ''circa'' 1441 for the Friars of the Franciscan Third Order Regular. Rosserk Friary and

Moyne Abbey Moyne Abbey () is a ruined medieval Franciscan friary in Killala, County Mayo, Ireland. Founded at some point before 1455, the abbey was burned in 1590 (see Dissolution of the monasteries). History The Abbey was founded before the year (1 ...

are located close to each other, north of Ballina on the west side of Killala Bay. Both were allegedly burnt by Sir Richard Bingham,

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

's governor of Connacht, in 1590 in Reformationist zeal.

Description

The stone doorway leading to the church still shows fine workmanship and carvings. The church is built in the late Irish Gothic Style and consists of a single-aisle nave, with two chantry chapels in the south transept and a bell-tower suspended over the chancel arch. In the south-east corner of the chancel is a double

piscina A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Lutherans and Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a pisci ...

with a Round Tower carved on one of its pillars, two angels and the instruments of the passion.Meehan, p. 647. The conventual buildings are well-preserved with three vaulted rooms on each side. The dormitory, refectory and kitchen were on the upper floor, where two fireplaces still remain back-to-back.

Gallery

File:Rosserk Friary 0165.jpg File:Rosserk Friary 0171.jpg File:Rosserk Friary 0179.jpg File:Rosserk Friary 0184.jpg File:Rosserk Friary 0190.jpg

References

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External links

Rosserk Friary Co. Mayo
{{coord, 54.1714, N, 9.1434, W, source:wikidata, display=title Buildings and structures in County Mayo Franciscan monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Mayo Ruins in the Republic of Ireland Christian monasteries established in the 1440s National monuments in County Mayo Gothic architecture in the Republic of Ireland