The Priory of Saint Mary, Clontuskert-Hy-Many, also called Clontuskert Abbey, is a medieval

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

and National Monument located in County Galway, Ireland.

Location

Clontuskert Priory South Range 2009 09 16

Clontuskert Abbey is located south of

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway in Connacht. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-ce ...

, south of the Ballinure River (a tributary of the

Suck Suck may refer to: *Suction, the force exerted by a partial vacuum *.sucks, an Internet top-level domain Arts and entertainment Music * Suck (band), a South African hard rock group * Suck, drummer for the 1990s Japanese punk band Teengenerate * ...

History

This was an early monastic site, founded c. AD 800 by Saint Boedan (Baedán, Baetan) and then located in the kingdom of Uí Maine. It should not be confused with Cloontuskert, located near Lanesborough and founded by Faithleach in the 6th century. Local tradition also states that Boedan's monastery was located not here, but at the ringfort at Chapelpark. The Priory of St Mary, a priory of the

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 ...

, was founded for the Arroasian Order by the Ó Ceallaigh family c. 1180. It was built in the claustral plan in which the church and domestic buildings are arranged around a central cloister

garth Garth may refer to: Places * Garth, Alberta, Canada * Garth, Bridgend, a village in south Wales :* Garth railway station (Bridgend) * Garth, Ceredigion, small village in Wales * Garth, Powys, a village in mid Wales :* Garth railway station (Powy ...

. Clontuskert appears in the ''Calendar of Papal Petitions'' for 1379, where "Nicholas O’Quinaeych, Augustinian Canon of St. Mary’s Cluyctenagentomany 'Clontuskert-Hy-Many'' was given a dispensation by

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...

to become prior of the monastery. It burned down in 1404. It was soon rebuilt, with ten-year

indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of ...

s granted to those who paid for the reconstruction. This included the great four-order west doorway, erected 1471. The O'Kellys continued to influence appointment of the prior. In 1444, prior Breasal O'Kelly died in battle. In 1473, prior Donatus O'Kelly was accused of homicide and keeping a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

. Clontuskert was dissolved in 1562 and the land passed to the

Burkes Burkes is a surname. Notable people with the names include: * Ida Burkes or Ida Dorsey (c. 1866–1988), American madam * Wayne Burkes (1929–2020), American politician See also *Burks, surname *Berkes, surname * Birks (surname) *Burke Burk ...

, although some monks remained until some time after 1637. The east gable wall collapsed in 1918, but was rebuilt in 1972. Excavation took place in 1970–72.

Buildings

The buildings feature

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 ...

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

, rood screen,

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 wi ...

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

chapter room A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

, sacristy, cellars, an oven and a

vaulted In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...

room in the southeast. The great west doorway features many carvings, including

Michael the Archangel Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

with a sword and the scales for weighing souls; Saints Augustine of Hippo,

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, ...

and

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

; a pelican feeding her young; a pair of

griffins The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

; and a

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes ass ...

with a

mirror A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the im ...

. The mermaid is similar to one at

Clonfert Cathedral Clonfert Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Clonfert, County Galway in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Clonfert, it is now one of three cathedrals in the Uni ...

, while the doorway is similar to the one at

Clonmacnoise Clonmacnoise ( Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th cen ...

. The inscription reads MATHEV DEI GRA EPS CLONFERTENS ET PATRE ONEACDAVAYN CANONIE ESTI DOMINE FI FECERT ANO DO MCCCCLXXI (Matthew by the Grace of God, Bishop of Clonfert, and Patrick O’Naughton, canon of this house, caused me to be made in 1471); the bishop referred to is Matthaeus Mág Raith, the only Augustinian to hold the see of Clonfert. File:Clontuskert_Priory_Doorway_Mermaid_2009_09_16.jpg, Mermaid carving File:Clontuskert Priory Stoup 2009 09 16.jpg,

Stoup A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water which is generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is often placed at the base of a crucifix or religious representation. It is used in the Catholic Church, Anglican Churches ...

with Saint Catherine of Alexandria (note wheel) and Augustine of Hippo File:Clontuskert_Priory_North_Transept_2009_09_16.jpg, North transept File:Clontuskert_Priory_Cloister_Arcades_2009_09_16.jpg, Cloister

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

Clontuskert Priory Doorway IHC Monogram 2009 09 16.jpg, IHC monogram File:Clontuskert Priory Vaulted Rood Gallery 2009 09 16.jpg, Vaulted rood gallery

In fiction

Clontuskert Abbey is mentioned in Mary Pat Kelly's novel ''Galway Bay'' (2011). This abbey is mentioned as well in Lina Callejon’s novel "Ien Seu: El Camino" (Editorial Círculo Rojo)

References

{{Reflist Augustinian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Galway Archaeological sites in County Galway National Monuments in County Galway