The French Church, also known as Greyfriars Abbey, is a former

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friary which was built in 1241 on what is now Greyfriars and Baileys New Street,

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

in Ireland. At the entrance to the ancient church stands a monument to

Luke Wadding Luke Wadding (16 October 158818 November 1657), was an Irish Franciscan friar and historian. Life Early life Wadding was born on 16 October 1588 in Waterford to Walter Wadding of Waterford, a wealthy merchant, and his wife, Anastasia Lombar ...

, a seventeenth-century Waterford-born priest. This friary was one of the first to be built in Ireland, being founded by the Anglo-Norman Knight Sir Hugh Purcell.Eamon McEneaney, ''Discover Waterford'', (O'Brien Press), 2001, p.75-76

Richard II

In 1394 Richard II lodged in the church while making plans for his assault on the

Irish clan Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or in Irish, plural ) included the chief and his patrilineal relatives; howe ...

s in the Wicklow Mountains. It was said to be the scene of the surrender of four Irish clan chiefs (the

O'Conor Don The O'Conor dynasty (Middle Irish: ''Ó Conchobhair''; Modern ) are an Irish noble dynasty and formerly one of the most influential and distinguished royal dynasties in Ireland. The O'Conor family held the throne of the Kingdom of Connacht up ...

, de Burgo, O'Brien and

O'Kennedy The O'Kennedy family (Irish language, Irish: ''Ó Cinnéide''), sometimes Kennedy, were an Irish royal dynasty, a sept of the Dál gCais, founded in the Middle Ages who were Kings of Ormond. Their founder was the nephew of High King of Ireland ...

) to

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

in 1395 when he made one of his two visits to Ireland. In the late fifteenth century a bell tower was added which is 25 metres high and it is still in evidence today. The bells from this tower were sold in 1541 by Henry VIII and are said to be now in Christchurch Cathedral nearby. The bell frame which suspended the bells remained on the site until 1809. With the dissolution the contents of the property was sold and on I9 January 1541 "A rather large sum of money was realised from the sale of the chattels of the friary—£34.8s,7d compared to the Blackfriars’ sale, £24.13s.8d. By 1541 one bell remained unsold".Patrick C. Power, ''History of Waterford'', 1990 (Mercier Press) p. 56 It was said to be "So near to the walls and Reginald's Tower was the friary that it was said that it was very necessary for the strength, defence and convenience of the city".

Almshouse

The friary was suppressed by the dissolution of the monasteries of April 1541 by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, but the friars were allowed to remain in the city. Henry VIII granted a charter in 1544 to convert part of the building into a hospital/almshouse.

French connection

In the seventeenth century, the choir of the church was adapted by Bishop Nathaniel Foy for use by

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

who had been invited to Waterford to work in the linen industry. This led to the name "French Church".

Graveyard

Among the graves in the graveyard are those of: Sir Hugh Purcell (in about 1250), who was the founder of the church and lies beside of the high altar; Lord Richard Poer (8 August 1607), Baron of Curraghmore, an ardent supporter of the Catholic faith and that of his wife, Catherine de Barry, daughter of the Great Barry, Viscount of Buttivant; Sir Nicholas Walsh (12 April 1615), one of the chief judges of the kingdom in the Court of Common Pleas. Another notable buried on 3 April 1635 was Nicholas Power, Lord of Kilmeaden Also buried there is

John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist serving since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. He has been described as having a Moderate conservatism, moderate conservative judicial philosophy, thoug ...

(1712/14–1796), architect.

References

{{Coord, 52.26046, -7.10659, type:landmark_region:IE, format=dms, display=title Roman Catholic churches in Waterford (city) National monuments in County Waterford

Richard II

Almshouse

French connection

Graveyard

See also

References