Ardfert Abbey (), also known as Ardfert Friary, is a ruined medieval

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 ...

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

and

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 ...

Ardfert Ardfert () is a village and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Kerry, Ireland. Historically a religious centre, the economy of the locality is driven by agriculture and its position as a dormitory town, being only from Tralee. T ...

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

, Ireland. It is thought to be built on the site of an early Christian monastic site founded by

Brendan the Navigator Brendan of Clonfert (c. AD 484 – c. 577) is one of the early Celtic Christianity, Irish monastic saints and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is also referred to as Brendan the Navigator, Brendan the Voyager, Brendan the Anchorite, ...

. The present remains date from the mid-thirteenth century, with the residential tower being added in the 15th century. The friary was dissolved in 1584.

History

It is thought that Ardfert was the original site of the monastery founded by

, which burned down c.1089. Ardfert Friary was founded for the

Order of Friars Minor Conventual The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

c. 1253 by

Thomas Fitzmaurice, 1st Baron Kerry Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

; he was purportedly buried here c. 1280–81. In 1310 a disagreement with the

Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe The Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe (usually simply referred to as the Bishop of Ardfert) was an episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardfert and townland of Aghadoe, both in County Kerry, Ireland. History The diocese of Rá ...

Nicol Ó Samradáin led to some friars suffering violent beatings. A residential tower was added to the west end of the church in the 15th century. It was refounded in 1517 for the Observant Franciscan Friars and finally dissolved in 1584; Col. John Zouche turned it into a barracks. Some friars remained in the area. In 1590 it belonged to James FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond. In 1636 the friary was absorbed into the estate of the Earls of Glandore (Crosbie family). In 1670 the 15th-century window of the church was moved to

Ardfert Cathedral The Ardfert Cathedral () is a ruined cathedral in Ardfert, County Kerry, Ireland. Dedicated to Saint Brendan, it was the seat of the Diocese of Ardfert from 1117. It is now a heritage tourism site. History Ardfert was the site of a Celtic C ...

; it was returned to the friary in 1815.

Buildings

The layout of the building follows the standard layout of most Franciscan friaries: a large church, a

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

, and residential offices. The church features a long

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

. A residential tower was added to the west end in the 15th century. It contains five floors, some with window seats and garderobes. There is a thirteenth-century window divided into five lights at the east

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

which would have lit up the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

. There are also nine lancet windows in the south wall; the design appears to be copied from

. Below the nine south windows there are 5 niche tombs added in the later centuries.

Gallery

File:Ardfert Friary Nave and Choir 2012 09 11.jpg, Nave and choir File:Ardfert Friary Cloister Walk South 2012 09 11.jpg, Cloister walk File:Ardfert Friary Cloister Arcades 2012 09 11.jpg, Cloister arcades File:Ardfert Friary South Transept South Window 2012 09 11.jpg, South window File:Ardfert Friary Cloister and Dormitory 2012 09 11.jpg, Cloister and dormitory File:Ardfert Friary Choir North Wall Tomb Nice Susan Ann Crosbie Coat of Arms 2012 09 11.jpg, Arms of Susan Ann Crosbie File:Ardfert Friary Choir North Wall Tomb Niches 2012 09 11.jpg, Tomb niches File:Ardfert Friary Choir South Wall Tomb Niches 2012 09 11.jpg, Tomb niches

References

Notes

Sources

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External links

*{{YouTube, 3O1yEh9pUJg Franciscan monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Kerry Archaeological sites in County Kerry National monuments in County Kerry