Lislaughtin Abbey is a medieval

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friary and National Monument located in County Kerry, Ireland.

Location

Lislaughtin Abbey is located north of Ballylongford, 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 (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

(Observant Franciscan Friars) in 1470 by John O'Connor, Lord of Kerry Luachra and Iraghticonnor. Permission was granted by Pope Sixtus IV in 1477. It was named after Saint Lachtin (died AD 622) who brought Christianity to the area. A

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

processional cross A processional cross is a crucifix or cross which is carried in Christian processions. Such crosses have a long history: the Gregorian mission of Saint Augustine of Canterbury to England carried one before them "like a standard", according ...

was commissioned in 1479; it is now known as the Lislaughtin or Ballymacasey cross and is held at the

National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology The National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann – Seandálaíocht, often known as the "NMI") is a branch of the National Museum of Ireland located on Kildare Street in Dublin, Ireland, that specialises in Irish an ...

Lord Iraghticonnor was buried at the friary in 1485. Thomas fitz Gerald, heir of the

Knight of Glin The Knight of Glin (; dormant 14 September 2011), also known as the Black Knight or Knight of the Valley, was a hereditary title held by the FitzGerald and FitzMaurice families of County Limerick, Ireland, since the early 14th century. The fam ...

, 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) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

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, usually made of stone, found on the liturgical south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for use during Mass for the officiating priest and his assistants, the ...

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

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. A two-storey building contained

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

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