Roscommon Abbey is a former Augustinian/Dominican Priory 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 spec ...

located in

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...

, Ireland.

History

Roscommon Abbey is an early monastic site, founded in the 6th century by St Comman, a disciple of

Finnian of Clonard Finnian of Clonard ('Cluain Eraird') – also Finian, Fionán or Fionnán in Irish; or Finianus and Finanus in its Latinised form (470–549) – was one of the early Irish monastic saints, who founded Clonard Abbey in modern-day County Meath. ...

. Roscommon Abbey was a monastery of the

Augustinian Canons Regular Canons regular are priests who live in community under a rule ( and canon in greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious life, such as clerics regular, designated by a ...

—

Arroasian The Abbey of Arrouaise in northern France was the centre of a form of the canonical life known as the Arrouaisian Order, which was popular among the founders of canonries during the decade of the 1130s. The community began to develop when Heldema ...

founded after 1140, possibly with Arroasian reformation 1140-8 by

Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair (old spelling: Tairrdelbach Mór Ua Conchobair; 1088 – 1156) anglicised Turlough Mór O'Conor, was King of Connacht (1106–1156) and High King of Ireland (ca. 1120–1156). Family background and early life ...

at the instance of

Saint Malachy Malachy (}; Modern ga, Maelmhaedhoc Ó Morgair; ) ( 1094 – 2 November 1148) is an Irish saint who was Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 popes later attributed to the apocryphal ...

. Roscommon Abbey was plundered by

William de Burgh William de Burgh (; ; ; la, de Burgo; c.1160–winter 1205/06) was the founder of the House of Burgh (later surnamed Burke or Bourke) in Ireland and elder brother of Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent and Geoffrey de Burgh, Bishop of Ely. In ...

in 1204 and burned by the Anglo-Normans in 1235 and 1247. Roscommon Abbey was a Dominican priory founded in 1253 by Fedlim Ó Conchobair, king of Connacht. It was plundered by Mac William de Burgo 1260. It was hit by fire in 1270 and lightning in 1308. Roscommon Abbey was dissolved before 1578; granted to Sir

Nicholas Malby Sir Nicholas Malby (1530?–1584) was an English soldier active in Ireland, Lord President of Connaught from 1579 to 1581. Life He was born probably about 1530. In 1556 his name appears in a list of persons willing to take part in the plantation ...

in 1578 and to

Francis Annesley, 1st Viscount Valentia Francis Annesley, 1st Viscount Valentia, (1 February – 22 November 1660) was an English statesman during the colonisation of Ireland in the seventeenth century. He was a Member of Parliament for both the English and Irish houses, was elevate ...

in 1615.

Building

Roscommon Friary is located in the southern part of Roscommon town, The church consisted of a single long

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

with

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 ...

and

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 ...

; the northern

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

was added in the fifteenth century. On his death in 1265 Fedlim Ó Conchobair was interred in the abbey and his tomb was covered by an effigial slab which can still be seen in a niche in the north-east corner of the church. The effigy was carved between 1290 and 1300 and is one of only two Irish royal effigies surviving from this period.

Gallery

County Roscommon - Roscommon Abbey Friary - 20170929142327.jpg, Great east window Roscommon St. Mary's Priory Choir Tomb 2014 08 28.jpg, Choir tomb Roscommon St. Mary's Priory Nave as seen from the Transept 2014 08 28.jpg, Nave seen from transept Roscommon St. Mary's Priory North Aisle 2014 08 28.jpg, North aisle File:Roscommon St. Mary's Priory West Gable as seen from the North Aisle 2014 08 28.jpg, West gable

References

{{Authority control Augustinian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Dominican monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Archaeological sites in County Roscommon National Monuments in County Roscommon Roman Catholic churches in County Roscommon