The Callan Augustinian Friary () is an Augustinian

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 ...

Callan, County Kilkenny Callan () is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Kilkenny in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated 16 km (10 mi) south of Kilkenny on the N76 road to Clonmel, it is near the border with County Tipperary. It is ...

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 ...

. Originally founded in the 15th century, it is located in what is known locally as the "Abbey Meadow", in the north-east of the town, on the banks of the Kings River. The friary forms part of the Callan Heritage Trail, which opened in May 2024.

History

In 1461,

Edmund MacRichard Butler Sir Edmund MacRichard Butler of Polestown (1420 – June 13, 1464) was the eldest son of Sir Richard Butler of Polestown and adopted the Gaelic title of The MacRichard of Ossory. Career Like his father before him, Edmund was the Lord Deputy to h ...

successfully petitioned

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...

for the foundation of the friary. After Edmund died in 1462, the buildings were erected by his son, James Butler who is regarded as the founder of the monastery. The foundation date of the friary is typically given as 1471, is likely to have actually been two or three years earlier, in 1468 or 1469. In 1472 the friary became observant—its community adopted the fashion then spreading across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

for the strictest observance of the monastic rules — and in 1479 it became the centre of the Irish Observant Congregation. The friary was dissolved and its lands confiscated by the order of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

in 1540. It passed into the hands of the

Earls of Ormond Earldom of Ormond may refer to: * Earl of Ormond (Scotland), created twice in the Peerage of Scotland for the House of Douglas *Earl of Ormond (Ireland) The peerage title Earl of Ormond and the related titles Duke of Ormonde and Marquess of Or ...

. The history of the

Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

in Callan from 1540 - 1766 is now lost, but it is known that members of the order returned to the monastery, and there is a wealth of documentary evidence indicating that Augustinian friars were resident in Callan from the mid 17th century. A new monastery for the Augustinian

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

s was founded in the town of Callan in 1766. This was closed by the order in Easter 2001.

Architecture

The friary church is a long, rectangular building with a central bell-tower. The east end or choir, is lit by an east window and in its south wall is one of the finest

sedilia In church architecture, sedilia (plural of Latin ''sedīle'', "seat") are seats, typically made of stone, located on the liturgical south side of the altar—often within the chancel—intended for use by the officiating priest, deacon, an ...

(a seat for officiating priests) in Ireland. While the domestic buildings and the cloister court no longer survive, a freshwater well remains on the grounds of the abbey. This well, known as "Saint Augustine's Well" or the "Abbey Well", is situated at the southern end of the abbey site in what is now usually referred to as Abbey Meadow. It is recorded in the

Record of Monuments and Places The Record of Monuments and Places (RMP; ) is a list of historical and archaeological sites the Republic of Ireland established under the National Monuments Acts. It can be consulted in county libraries and local authority offices and online and ...

(RMP) as a

holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...

, with record number "KK026-010018-", and contains limestone gutter-spout which might have been part of the abbey. The well is a rectangular area of c. 1.2-3m surrounded by a wall with an opening to the south from where the water flows to join the King's River. The Callan-born poet,

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

, described the well in his 1885 poem ''The Old Abbey Well''. In the poem, he describes how "a drink from its depths .Would act on one's frame like a magical spell", and that "nothing in life so refreshing .As the water which shone in the old abbey well". According to local folklore, the water from the holy well was used as a cure for swellings and strains.

References

Notes

Sources

* {{refend Buildings and structures completed in 1467 Augustinian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Buildings and structures in County Kilkenny Religion in County Kilkenny Ruins in the Republic of Ireland 1470s establishments in Ireland Christian monasteries established in the 1460s National monuments in County Kilkenny Callan, County Kilkenny

History

Architecture

See also

References

Notes

Sources