Killursa is a medieval ruined
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 ...
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. The name comes from the Irish ‘Cill Fhursa’, meaning “the church of Fursa”.
St. Fursa was a 7th century saint who is thought to have established a monastery on this site. The church building dates to the 12th century and was designed in the
Romanesque style. It is surrounded by a large burial ground containing a combination of older and more modern graves. It is still in use today. The site is a protected
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 ...
.
Description
The roofless, ruined church and large burial ground are located approximately west of
Headford
Headford () is a small town in County Galway, located 26 km north of Galway city in the west of Ireland. It is an angling centre for the eastern shore of Lough Corrib, and Greenfields, approximately 6.5 km west of the town, is its bo ...
, north of
Galway city
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, in Ireland. The building is rectangular in layout, measuring in length and in width. Designed in the Romanesque style, it contains some interesting architectural details including a
mullion
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...
ed
Late Gothic window and
trabeate doorway.
There is a stone altar on the east end.
The graveyard contains a combination of old and modern gravestones. Some of the more interesting graves include carved
Celtic crosses and symbols and inscriptions in Irish and Latin. Many of the surviving gravestones date from the 18th century.
There is a statue of St. Fursa near the entrance to the graveyard.
History
A monastery is believed to have been founded in the 7th century on this site or nearby, on the shore of
Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib ( ; ) is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib or Galway River connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the largest lake within the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Nea ...
by
Saint Fursa. Saint Fursa was legendary in medieval literature for his visions of angels and the afterlife. The church dates from the 12th or 13th century. It was formally known as "Furnee".
The church was probably used until the 18th century when it was abandoned and fell into ruin.
See also
*
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 ...
*
Drumacoo
Drumacoo is a medieval ecclesiastical site and National Monument (Ireland), National Monument located in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Location
Drumacoo is located north of Ballinderreen, to the east of Galway Bay. History
The ...
References
{{Reflist
Archaeological sites in County Galway
National monuments in County Galway
Former churches in County Galway