Ferns Abbey () is a ruined Augustinian abbey in

Ferns The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

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 ...

. Likely built on the site of an early Christian monastic site founded by

Máedóc of Ferns Saint Máedóc of Ferns (; 6th & 7th century), also known as Saint Aidan (; ; and '), Saint MadocDiarmait Mac Murchada Diarmait Mac Murchada (Modern Irish: ''Diarmaid Mac Murchadha''; anglicised as Dermot MacMurrough or Dermot MacMurphy; – c. 1 May 1171), was King of Leinster in Ireland from 1127 to 1171. In 1167, he was deposed by the High King of Ireland ...

c.1160. The abbey was suppressed on 7 April 1539. The abbey was claustral in layout, and features an unusual tower that is half square, half round. Partially rebuilt in 1846, many original architectural elements were damaged at this time.

History

The abbey is built on the site of previous ecclesiastical foundations. The site was originally home to an oratory dedicated to

by 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 ...

between 1160 and 1162. The abbey was suppressed on 7 April 1539.

Architecture

The abbey was built in the

Romanesque architectural style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Roma ...

. Today, only a tower, a stretch of wall, and a small, ruined chamber survive. Excavations of the church carried out in 1910 revealed the foundations of several other elements of the abbey. The abbey was partially re-built by the owners in 1846, during which many of the original architectural details were damaged. The abbey was claustral in layout and featured a cloister garth measuring by . The

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 ...

of the

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

narrowed slightly from west to east, a feature found in several early churches in Ireland, and regarded as a mark of architectural refinement. The church featured 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 ...

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 ...

, and a priest's chambers; the chancel and the priest's chambers featured stone vaulted ceilings. The abbey's tower is considered unusual as it is square at the base but changes to a round tower. The square portion is tall, while the round portion is tall, for a total height of . This is considered illustrative of the transition which was taking place from the "detached"

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with defensive walls such as curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls. Castle ...

History

Architecture

References

Notes

Sources