The Priory of Saint Mary, Clontuskert-Hy-Many, also called Clontuskert Abbey, is a medieval Augustinian

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

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 ...

located in

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, Ireland.

Location

Clontuskert Priory South Range 2009 09 16

Clontuskert Abbey is located south of

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway, Ireland. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-centur ...

, south of the Ballinure River (a tributary of the

Suck Suck may refer to: *Suction, the force exerted by a partial vacuum * .sucks, an Internet top-level domain Arts and entertainment Music * Suck (band), a South African hard rock group * Suck, drummer for the 1990s Japanese punk band Teengenerat ...

History

This was an early monastic site, founded c. AD 800 by Saint Boedan (Baedán, Baetan) and then located in the kingdom of Uí Maine. It should not be confused with Cloontuskert, located near Lanesborough and founded by Faithleach in the 6th century. Local tradition also states that Boedan's monastery was located not here, but at the ringfort at Chapelpark. The Priory of St Mary, a priory of the

Canons Regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

, was founded for the Arroasian Order by the Ó Ceallaigh family c. 1180. It was built in the claustral plan in which the church and domestic buildings are arranged around a central cloister garth. Clontuskert appears in the ''Calendar of Papal Petitions'' for 1379, where "Nicholas O’Quinaeych, Augustinian Canon of St. Mary’s Cluyctenagentomany 'Clontuskert-Hy-Many'' was given a dispensation by

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI (; ; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death, in October 1389. He was the last pope elected from outside the College of Cardinals. His pontificate be ...

to become

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

of the monastery. It burned down in 1404. It was soon rebuilt, with ten-year

indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission bef ...

s granted to those who paid for the reconstruction. This included the great four-order west doorway, erected 1471. The O'Kellys continued to influence appointment of the prior. In 1444, prior Breasal O'Kelly died in battle. In 1473, prior Donatus O'Kelly was accused of

homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

and keeping a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

. Clontuskert was dissolved in 1562 and the land passed to the Burkes, although some monks remained until some time after 1637. The east gable wall collapsed in 1918, but was rebuilt in 1972. Excavation took place in 1970–72.

Buildings

The buildings feature

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 ...

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 ...

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque 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 ...

, chapter room,

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

, cellars, an oven and a

vaulted In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...

room in the southeast. The great west doorway features many carvings, including

Michael the Archangel Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

with a sword and the scales for weighing souls; Saints

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

standing on a serpent,

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria, also spelled Katherine, was, according to tradition, a Christian saint and Virginity, virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a ...

and

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

; a

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

feeding her young; a pair of

griffins The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...

; and a

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...

with a

mirror A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera ...

. The mermaid is similar to one at

Clonfert Cathedral Clonfert Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Clonfert, County Galway in Ireland. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Clonfert and then one of three cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Limerick and Killaloe, it is now ...

, while the doorway is similar to the one at

Clonmacnoise Clonmacnoise or Clonmacnois (Irish language, Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery in County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, Ciarán, ...

. The inscription reads MATHEV DEI GRA EPS CLONFERTENS ET PATRE ONEACDAVAYN CANONIE ESTI DOMINE FI FECERT ANO DO MCCCCLXXI (Matthew by the Grace of God,

Bishop of Clonfert The Bishop of Clonfert () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clonfert in County Galway, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title; but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with oth ...

, and Patrick O’Naughton, canon of this house, caused me to be made in 1471); the bishop referred to is Matthaeus Mág Raith, the only Augustinian to hold the see of Clonfert. File:Clontuskert_Priory_Doorway_Mermaid_2009_09_16.jpg, Mermaid carving File:Clontuskert Priory Stoup 2009 09 16.jpg,

Stoup A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water which is generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is often placed at the base of a crucifix or other Christian art. It is used in Catholic, as well as many Lutheran and Anglica ...

with Saint Catherine of Alexandria (note wheel) and Augustine of Hippo File:Clontuskert_Priory_North_Transept_2009_09_16.jpg, North transept File:Clontuskert_Priory_Cloister_Arcades_2009_09_16.jpg, Cloister

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

Clontuskert Priory Doorway IHC Monogram 2009 09 16.jpg, IHC monogram File:Clontuskert Priory Vaulted Rood Gallery 2009 09 16.jpg, Vaulted rood gallery

In fiction

Clontuskert Abbey is mentioned in Mary Pat Kelly's novel ''Galway Bay'' (2011). This abbey is mentioned as well in Lina Callejon’s novel "Ien Seu: El Camino" (Editorial Círculo Rojo)

References

{{Reflist Augustinian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Galway Archaeological sites in County Galway National monuments in County Galway