Kilcooley Abbey is a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

near the

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

Gortnahoe Gortnahoe (), also known as Gortnahoo, is a village in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the R689 road, south of Urlingford, County Kilkenny, where the N8 road (Ireland), N8 Dublin–Cork (city), Cork road can be access ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

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 ...

. The abbey is located inside the grounds of the Kilcooley Estate. This abbey dates from 1182 when the

King of Thomond The kings of Thomond () ruled from the establishment of Thomond during the High Middle Ages, until the Early modern period. Thomond represented the legacy of Brian Bóruma and the High Kings of Ireland of his line who could not hold onto all of ...

Donal Mor O’Brien granted lands to the

Cistercians The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

, to build an abbey here. The abbey, which was built around 1200 is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St. Benedict and shares similar

Cistercian architecture Cistercian architecture is a style of architecture associated with the churches, monasteries and abbeys of the Roman Catholic Cistercian Order. It was heavily influenced by Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153), who believed that churches should avoid ...

with both

Jerpoint Abbey Jerpoint Abbey () is a ruined Cistercian abbey, founded in the second half of the 12th century in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located 2.5 km south west of Thomastown on the R448 regional road. There is a visitor centre with an exhibi ...

and

Holy Cross Abbey Holy Cross Abbey ''(Mainistir na Croise Naofa)'' was a Cistercian monastery in Holycross near Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, situated on the River Suir. It takes its name from a relic of the True Cross or Holy Rood. History A supposed f ...

. The abbey is open to the public. After the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

and the dissolution of the monasteries, Kilcooley passed into the possession of the Earl of Ormond. It was granted to the English-born judge Sir

Jerome Alexander Sir Jerome Alexander (c.1585–1670) was an English-born barrister, judge and politician, who spent much of his career in Ireland (after he had been professionally ruined in England), and became a substantial Irish landowner. He was a noted bene ...

in the 1630s. It passed to his daughter Elizabeth, and then through marriage to the

Barker baronets There have been five baronetcies created for persons with the surname Barker, three in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. All five creations are extinct. The Barke ...

of Bocking Hall, the last of whom died in 1818.

Structure

The main part of the abbey consists of the entrance chamber, 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 ...

, the

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

, and the

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 ...

. The entrance chamber has a carved

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

on its south wall. 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 is still roofed, but the rest of it is out in the open. The church has two large carved windows on its east and west side. The chancel contains two stone tombs and a stone altar. One of these tombs is that of the knight Piers Fitz Oge Butler. His tomb records his death as taking place in 1526, and has some carvings of 10 apostles on the side of it carved by Rory O Tunney, who is also noted for his work in

. On top of the Butler tomb, there is the effigy of a knight with a dog curled up at his feet. The

is entered through a carved archway that has many carvings, such as a scene depicting the crucifixion and a mermaid holding a mirror, which was meant to depict vanity.

Roger Stalley Roger Andrew Stalley (born 12 June 1945) is a scholar and teacher in medieval architecture and sculpture. His speciality is Early Gothic and Romanesque architecture and sculpture in England and Western Europe with a particular focus on Irish arch ...

suspects this screen wall may represent the entrance to a private Butler chapel, as two Butler shields are depicted. The east end of the nave contains seats for the officiating clergy which have been carved into the crossing piers. Kilcooly Abbey mermaid

Outside the abbey, there is also a beehive-shaped ruin. It is not known whether this was used as a

columbarium A columbarium (; pl. columbaria), also called a cinerarium, is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage of funerary urns holding cremated remains of the dead. The term comes from the Latin ''columba'' (dove) and originally solel ...

to store ashes or a dove-cote for pigeons. But most probably it was a dove-cote since there is a wide hole in the ceiling from which they would have entered and left. Also outside the abbey is the

infirmary Infirmary may refer to: *Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital *A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution *A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications) *A clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambul ...

which is still in fairly good condition although access to its roof is blocked. The

cloisters A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a warm southe ...

of the abbey are long gone with only one column still remaining. The path of the cloisters though still remains with a pebbled walkway around the grass square. The centre even has a large tree growing in it. Beside the cloisters, the

parlour A parlour (or parlor) is a reception room or public space. In medieval Christian Europe, the "outer parlour" was the room where the monks or nuns conducted business with those outside the monastery and the "inner parlour" was used for necessar ...

and

chapter house A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

are still there. Also, the

calefactory The calefactory (also ''warming house'') was an important room or building in a medieval monastery in Western Europe. In the present day it is a communal place of recreation and fellowship in religious houses such as monasteries, priories, and ...

(warming room) still remains but without a roof. And on the south side of the cloisters, the

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...

(monks' dining hall) still stands. Although it has no roof, it still has a spiral staircase, but this has been barred up. The rooms on the second floor include the dortoir and the main tower — locked up by the Office of Public Works. The parlour, chapter house, and calefactory are also barred. Kilcooly Abbey was also used in the making of the film "''Excalibur''" by

John Boorman Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing feature films such as '' Point Blank'' (1967), '' Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), '' Zardoz'' ...

, which is based on the tale of King Arthur and the knights of the round table. There is a pyramid structure on the grounds of the abbey.

Burials

John Butler of Clonamicklon John Butler of Clonamicklon (or of Lismalin), (1305 – 6 January 1330) was born in Arklow, Wicklow, Ireland the youngest son of Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick and Joan FitzGerald. Once older he moved north from Lismalin and established a junior ...

(died

1330 Year 1330 ( MCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * July 28 – Battle of Velbazhd: The Bulgarians under Tsar Michael Shishman (who is mortally wounded) are beaten by the ...

)

Gallery

File:Knights Tomb.jpg, alt=, Knight's tomb File:Cloister Tree.jpg, alt=, Tree in the garth File:Monks Dining Hall.jpg, Refectory File:Sacristy Arch.jpg, alt=, Archway to the sacristy File:Kilcooly Abbey Choir and South Transept 1997 08 30.jpg, Kilcooly Abbey Choir and South Transept 1997 08 30

References

External links

{{Commons
Writings of the late Canon J.J.. Larnbe

Historic Graves
Cistercian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland National monuments in County Tipperary Religion in County Tipperary Ruins in the Republic of Ireland 1182 establishments in Ireland Christian monasteries established in the 1180s

Structure

Burials

Gallery

See also

References

External links