Lislaughtin Abbey is a medieval

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friary 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 Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

, Ireland.

Location

Lislaughtin Abbey is located north of

Ballylongford Ballylongford (historically ''Bealalongford'', from ) is a village near Listowel in northern County Kerry, Ireland. As of the 2022 census, it had a population of 415. Geography The village is situated near the estuary of the Ballyline River, ...

, on the east bank of the Ballylongford Creek and to the south of the Shannon Estuary.

History

The friary was founded for the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; Post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a Mendicant orders, mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis ...

(Observant Franciscan Friars) in 1470 by John O'Connor, Lord of Kerry Luachra and Iraghticonnor. Permission was granted by

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

in 1477. It was named after Saint Lachtin (died AD 622) who brought Christianity to the area. A

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

processional cross was commissioned in 1479; it is now known as the Lislaughtin or Ballymacasey cross and is held at the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology. Lislaughtin Abbey from Graveyard

Lord Iraghticonnor was buried at the friary in 1485. Thomas fitz Gerald, heir of the Knight of Glin, was buried there in 1567 after his execution. During the Siege of Carrigafoyle Castle (1580) the abbey was twice raided by English soldiers. The abbey was then dissolved, although the church and graveyard remained in use by the local Catholic population, and some friars returned in 1629. During one of these attacks the Lislaughtin cross was buried for safety, and it was found by a local farmer in March 1871.

Buildings

The abbey church is a long house divided into

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and

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 ...

with triple

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 ...

; the collapsed square tower was over the choir arch. The thirty windows are pointed and of cut

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

. A two-storey building contained

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 ...

and dormitory. To the northeast is the

garderobe Garderobe is a historic term for a room in a medieval castle. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' gives as its first meaning a store-room for valuables, but also acknowledges "by extension, a private room, a bed-chamber; also a privy". The word der ...

References

External links

*{{YouTube, 3O1yEh9pUJg Franciscan monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Kerry Archaeological sites in County Kerry National monuments in County Kerry 1477 establishments in Europe