Liathmore Churches are two medieval churches forming a
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 spec ...
in
County Tipperary, Ireland.
Location
Liathmore Churches are located 2.8 km (1.8 mi) east of
Two-Mile Borris.
History
St
Mochoemog
Saint Mochoemoc (or Pulcherius,, c. 550–656) was an early Irish abbot, later considered to have been a saint.
He was a nephew of Saint Íte of Killeedy, who raised him. He became a monk in Bangor Abbey under the abbot Saint Comgall of Bangor ...
(d. 655) founded the monastery here. There are two churches and the footings of a
round tower.
The smaller church is the earlier and dates to the early medieval period; the larger church is late medieval and was begun in the 12th century, and contains a number of tombs.
Building
The
sheela-na-gig is located on the left hand side of a
Romanesque doorway belonging to the larger of the two churches.
The larger church:
nave is 41'4" x 18'8" (12.6 x 5.7 m), and the
chancel 26'9" x 16'2" (8.2 x 4.9 m). It was originally a single-chamber church with
antae at the east end.
The circular foundation proved to be the base of an
Irish round tower. As there is no historical record or oral tradition of a tower here it is thought that it must have fallen, and its stones removed, sometime before 1500. The diameter was 15 ft. 6in. (4.7 m).
References
{{Reflist
Former churches in County Tipperary
Archaeological sites in County Tipperary
National monuments in County Tipperary