St. Declan's Monastery, containing the remains of Ardmore Cathedral, is a former monastery 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 sp ...

located in

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

, Ireland.

Location

St. Declan's Monastery is located about 400 m ( mile) southwest of

Ardmore, County Waterford Ardmore () is a seaside resort and fishing village in County Waterford, Ireland, not far from Youghal on the south coast of Ireland. The village is in a civil parish of the same name. As of the 2022 census, the village had a population of 468. ...

. Ardmore is built on a headland east of

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long ...

and the mouth of the

Munster Blackwater The Blackwater or Munster Blackwater (, The Great River) is a river which flows through counties Kerry, Cork and Waterford in Ireland. It rises in the Mullaghareirk Mountains in County Kerry and then flows in an easterly direction across Co ...

History

Ardmore Cathedral West Gable Reliefs 2015 09 15

Tradition states that the monastery was founded by

Declán of Ardmore Declán of Ardmore (; ; ; died 5th century AD), also called Déclán, was an early Irish people, Irish saint of the Déisi Muman, who was remembered for having converted the Déisi in the late 5th century and for having founded the monastery of ...

in the 5th century. Ultan was the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

in AD 550. The

ogham Ogham (also ogam and ogom, , Modern Irish: ; , later ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish language ( scholastic ...

stones are of the 5th or 6th century, while the stone

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

dates to the 9th century. St. Declan's Oratory was built in the 9th or 10th century to hold the founder's

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

, while the

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 defensive walls such as curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls. Castle ...

was built in the 12th century, and is considered one of the last such towers to be built. In 1174 the abbot's name was Eugene. The

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 ...

was added in the 12th century; it shows distinctive Romanesque arcading, with several Christian themes carved in stone, within two

lunettes A lunette (French ''lunette'', 'little moon') is a crescent- or half-moon–shaped or semi-circular architectural space or feature, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be ...

and a blind arcade. Originally they would have been painted in bright colours but are now bare stone and badly eroded by 800 years of wind and rain; some are still recognisable as

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

, the

Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings or Visitation of the Wise Men is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having fo ...

Judgment of Solomon The Judgement of Solomon is a story from the Old Testament in which Solomon ruled between two women who both claimed to be the mother of a child. Solomon ordered the baby be cut in half, with each woman to receive one half. The first woman accept ...

and Archangel Michael weighing souls. A bishop blessing a warrior – possibly a

Crusader Crusader or Crusaders may refer to: Military * Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades * Convair NB-36H Crusader, an experimental nuclear-powered bomber * Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II * Crusaders (guerrilla), a C ...

image or the conversion of the

Déisi Muman The ''Déisi'' were a social class in Ireland between the ancient and early medieval period. The various peoples listed under the heading ''déis'' shared a similar status in Gaelic Ireland, and had little or no actual kinship, though they were ...

to Christianity – is also visible. These may have been inspired by similar carvings at pilgrimage sites such as

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

. Ardmore became a

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

in 1152, the seat of the

Bishop of Ardmore The Bishop of Ardmore was an episcopal title which took its name after the monastic settlement of Ardmore in County Waterford, Ireland. Ardmore was not included in the list of Irish dioceses approved at the Synod of Kells, but is named as a c ...

, Máel Étaín Ua Duib Ratha (Moelettrim O Duibh Rathra, Meolettrim O Duibh-rathra), who was suffragan to the

Archbishop of Cashel The Archbishop of Cashel () was an archiepiscopal title which took its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. Following the Reformation, there had been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church ...

; by the 13th century the title was abolished and the diocese merged into Lismore, but the church still claims the name "Ardmore Cathedral". The arch was added in the late 12th or early 13th century; it lies on a high base, high. The moulding of the

archivolt An archivolt (or voussure) is an ornamental Molding (decorative), moulding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental mouldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, ...

is elaborate, and the capitals are sculptured with lotus buds. The church is recorded as being finished in 1203 when Máel Étaín Ua Duib Ratha died. Further work on the south wall and east gable was completed in the 14th century. Under the

Irish Church Act 1869 The Irish Church Act 1869 ( 32 & 33 Vict. c. 42) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which separated the Church of Ireland from the Church of England and disestablished the former, a body that commanded the adherence of a small mi ...

, money was allocated for the cathedral's preservation.

Buildings

Ardmore Cathedral View from the Choir into the Nave 2015 09 15

The

is of stone and is unroofed, divided into nave, chancel and

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

. Eight medieval graveslabs are present, some decorated with

fleur-de-lys The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...

, evidence of the site's

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

history. St Declan's stone oratory is floored in large flagstones and contains an empty grave recess; pilgrims used to remove earth from the hole. It measures by and its

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...

is formed of a single long stone. The

is about high, with four storeys (each separated by a string-courses) and three small windows along its body and four windows at the top, one at each of the cardinal directions. This 12th century round tower is constructed of blocks that are cut to the curve of the tower and gradually taper to the top. The Ardmore round tower is perhaps one of the finest in Ireland. The ogham stones read: *CIIC 263: ("Of Lugaid the smith's son of ...? of the tribe of Nad-Segamon, Dolativix the vice-bishop") ''Bigaisgob'' is thought to be from Latin ''vici episcopus'', "rural/assistant bishop". *CIIC 264: ("-nach son of ...") *CIIC 265: (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''amātus'', "beloved one asculine) Notable graves in the graveyard include: *

*Declan Hurton ( Old IRA), killed at

Thurles Thurles (; ''Durlas Éile'') is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the civil parish of the same name in the barony of Eliogarty and in the ecclesiastical parish of Thurles. The cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Arch ...

in the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

, December 1921 *Able Seaman Michael Moylan (

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

), served aboard in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, died 1916 *Several drowning victims (mostly Polish) of the SS ''Ary'' disaster (February 1947)

Gallery

File:Ornate tomb inside Ardmore Cathedral.jpg, Tomb File:Ardmore Cathedral Choir Arch Capital N II 2015 09 15.jpg, Carved

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

File:Relief carvings in Ardmore 5.jpg, Carvings on the arcade: At top is the

Judgement of Solomon The Judgement of Solomon is a story from the Old Testament in which Solomon ruled between two women who both claimed to be the mother of a child. Solomon ordered the baby be cut in half, with each woman to receive one half. The first woman accept ...

, at bottom the

File:Relief carvings in Ardmore.jpg, Arcade carvings:

and, at right, a warrior kneeling before a bishop File:Ogham, Ardmore.jpg, Ogham stone (CIIC 263) File:Ogham,_Ardmore,_3.jpg, Ogham stone (CIIC 265) with Latin carving (''amadu'') File:Ardmore Cathedral - cella nearby.jpg, St Declan's Oratory File:Ardmore Cathedral 9.jpg, East face of the cathedral, with large

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...

es File:Irish War of Independence grave.jpg, Grave of Declan Hurton (Old IRA); note the Easter lilies File:WW1 sailor's grave.jpg, Able Seaman Moylan's grave (First World War) File:Grave of SS Ary victims.jpg, SS ''Ary'' graves

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint declans monastery ardmore Christian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Waterford Archaeological sites in County Waterford National monuments in County Waterford Cemeteries in the Republic of Ireland 5th-century establishments in Ireland