The Monasterboice ( ga, Mainistir Bhuithe) ruins are the remains of an early Christian monastic settlement in

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...

in Ireland, north of

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

. The ruins are a National monument of Ireland and also give their name to the local village.

Name

The name Monasterboice is a part-anglicisation of the Irish name ''Mainistir Bhuithe'' meaning "monastery of Buithe". It was formerly anglicised as ''Monasterboye'' and ''Monasterboyse''. Boice is the English version of the Latin name Boecius, which was adopted as the equivalent of the Irish Buithe.

History

The monastic settlement was founded in the late 5th century by Saint Buithe (or Buite) who died around 521.Bord Failte sign Poet and historian Flann Mainistrech, Flann of Monasterboice, was lector here. Little is known about the monastery except for a list of abbots (759-1122). It fell into ruin after the establishment of the Cistercian Mellifont Abbey nearby in 1142. A parochial church was in use at the location by the 13th century.

Description

The site includes the remains of two churches built in the 14th century or later and an earlier

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and ful ...

, but it is most famous for its

high cross A high cross or standing cross ( ga, cros ard / ardchros, gd, crois àrd / àrd-chrois, cy, croes uchel / croes eglwysig) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval traditi ...

es. The round tower is about 28 metres tall, and is in very good condition. It was likely built shortly after 968 and damaged in a fire in 1098. The three high crosses date from the 10th century and form part of the scriptural group (showing biblical scenes). The 5.5-metre

Muiredach's High Cross Muiredach's High Cross is a high cross from the 10th or possibly 9th century, located at the ruined monastic site of Monasterboice, in County Louth, Ireland. There are two other high crosses at Monasterboice; in local terms Muiredach's cross i ...

is regarded as the finest high cross in the whole of Ireland. It is named after an abbot, Muiredach mac Domhnaill, who died in 923 and features biblical carvings of both the

Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

and New Testaments of the Bible. The North and West crosses are also notable examples of this kind of structure, but these have suffered much more from the effects of the weather. A copy of the main cross is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Today

The property is owned by the National Monuments Service and is accessible to the public. Burials in the graveyard around the ruins continue in the present day.

Gallery

Monasterboice-02-Mauer-1993-gje.jpg, Monasterboice Monasterboice North Church and West Cross West Face 2013 09 27.jpg, North church and West Cross Monasterboice-16-Westkreuz teils-1993-gje.jpg, West Cross Monasterboice - West Cross - head west.jpg, West Cross, close-up Monasterboice-22-Ostkreuz teils-1989-gje.jpg, East Cross Monasterboice - North Cross - head west.jpg, North Cross, close-up Monasterboice-10-Muiredachkreuz Westseite-1993-gje.jpg, Muiredach's Cross

References

External links

Monasterboice Conservation Study
PDF 8.8MB {{Authority control Ruined abbeys and monasteries High crosses in the Republic of Ireland Ruins in the Republic of Ireland Buildings and structures in County Louth Religion in County Louth Towers in the Republic of Ireland National Monuments in County Louth