St Mary's Abbey, Dublin
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St. Mary's Abbey () was a former
Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
abbey located near the junction of
Abbey Street Abbey Street () is a major street, located on the Northside of Dublin city centre, running from the Customs House and Beresford Place in the east to Capel Street in the west, where it continues as Mary's Abbey. The street is served by two L ...
and
Capel Street Capel Street ( ) is a predominantly commercial street in Dublin, Ireland, laid out in the 17th century by Humphrey Jervis. History Capel Street takes its name from the nearby chapel of St Mary's Abbey (from the Latin Capella – Chapel) altho ...
in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, Ireland. Its territory stretched from the district known as
Oxmanstown Oxmantown was a suburb on the opposite bank of the Liffey from Dublin, in what is now the city's Northside. It was founded in the 12th century by Hiberno-Norse Dubliners or " Ostmen" who either migrated voluntarily or were expelled from insid ...
down along the
River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish language, Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major Tributary, tributaries include t ...
until it met the sea. It also owned large estates in other parts of Ireland. It was one of several
liberties Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
that existed in Dublin since the arrival of the
Anglo-Normans The Anglo-Normans (, ) were the medieval ruling class in the Kingdom of England following the Norman Conquest. They were primarily a combination of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, French people, Frenchmen, Anglo-Saxons and Celtic Britons. Afte ...
in the 12th century, which gave it jurisdiction over its lands.


History

The abbey was founded by the Irish king Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid (died 862) in 846, according to the
Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...
. It was originally
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
, but in 1139 was given by Malachy O'Morga, the legate of the Pope, to monks belonging to the
Congregation of Savigny The monastic Congregation of Savigny (Savigniac Order) started in the abbey of Savigny, situated in northern France, on the confines of Normandy and Brittany, in the Diocese of Coutances. It originated in 1105 when Vitalis of Mortain established ...
, which in 1147 joined the
Cistercian order The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
. In 1303, a great part of the abbey and church was destroyed by fire but was reconstructed. However, many of the city records and Court pleadings in the chancery stored in the abbey were destroyed. The abbey was one of the largest and richest in Ireland at that time. A series of
charters A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the reci ...
and
statutes A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...
of the
Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland () was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until the end of 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambers: the Irish Hou ...
increased its liberties, including the right to claim goods salvaged from
shipwrecks A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...
on the coast of County Dublin, and the right to deal with their lands in territories controlled by the "hostile Irish" without incurring the usual penalties. E.g. Statute 15 and 16 Edward IV c.78 In 1316, Robert de Nottingham, then
Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...
, attacked the abbey where the
Earl of Ulster The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's el ...
,
Richard Óg de Burgh Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and i ...
, was visiting. De Burgh was suspected of having brought
Edward Bruce Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick (Norman French: ; ; Modern Scottish Gaelic: or ; 1280 – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 struggle for the Scottish cro ...
, who was then marching on Dublin, to Ireland. Several of de Burgh's men were killed before he was captured, and as the monks were suspected of supporting Bruce, the abbey was laid waste. In the fifteenth century Walter Champfleur became Abbot of St Mary's in 1467, and held office for more than thirty years. He was a political figure of some importance, due partly to his close association with
Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond PC (1426 – 3 August 1515) was the youngest son of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond. He was attainted, but restored by Henry VII's first Parliament in November 1485, and the statutes made at Westminster, b ...
, to whom he acted as a political and financial adviser. He was briefly Keeper of the
Great Seal of Ireland The Great Seal of Ireland was the Seal (emblem), seal used until 1922 by the Dublin Castle administration to authenticate important state documents in Ireland, in the same manner as the Great Seal of the Realm in England. The Great Seal of Irela ...
in 1482-3. He died around 1498, much mourned by his Order as an "aged, prudent and learned man". At a meeting of the Privy Council in the Chapter House,
Silken Thomas {{Infobox noble, type , name = Thomas FitzGerald , title = The Earl of Kildare , image = Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = , ...
started his rebellion of 1534 here, by throwing down his
Sword of State A sword of state is a sword, used as part of the regalia, symbolising the supreme power of a monarch, given by God, to use the infinite might of the state to deter its enemies by use of deadly warfare, if thus dire, to maintain order in the r ...
.


Burials in the abbey

*
James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...


Abbey became an arsenal

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 the property was given over to John Travers and the church became an
arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
and part of a quarry. The spacious lands which had been owned by the monks came in time to be let to persons who desired to build residences or places of business thereon.


Abbey became a private residence

In 1619, Sir Gerald Moore of
Mellifont Mellifont Abbey (, literally 'the Big Monastery'), was a Cistercian abbey located close to Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. It was the first abbey of the order to be built in Ireland. In 1152, it hosted the Synod of Kells-Mellifont. After i ...
,
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 ...
, received from King
James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 unti ...
a grant of the abbey, together with its tithes and lands. He later became Viscount Moore of Mellifont. The family of Moore made the Abbey their Dublin residence up to the close of the 17th century, and it was
Henry Moore, 1st Earl of Drogheda Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
, who built himself a mansion on what is now
O'Connell Street O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Henry ...
and developed Henry, Moore and Earl streets. In 1676, stone from the ruins of the Abbey was used in the building of Essex Bridge (now
Grattan Bridge Grattan Bridge () is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland, and joining Capel Street to Parliament Street, Dublin, Parliament Street and the Dublin quays, south quays. History 1st Essex bridge of 1676 The first bridge on t ...
, leading to Parliament Street).


Non-Conformist Chapels

There were two non-conformist chapels on the St. Mary's Abbey site. Meeting House Lane gets its name from the non-conformist chapel. One is known as Burghers (Capel Street) and the other is Seceders or Non-Burghers. The Capel Street Congregation, which became the Abbey Presbyterian Church now on Parnell Square, and the Union Chapel which moved in 1836 to Lower Abbey Street. The Capel Street Congregation Chapel was incorporated into Bolands Bakery, following its move to Rutland (Parnell) Square.


Mary's Abbey Synagogue

Following the closure of Stafford Street Synagogue, in 1836, the congregation under Rabbi Issac Davidson, purchased the former non-conformist chapel (used by the Union Chapel before they moved to Lower Abbey Street, the sale caused a major conflict within the church) on part of the old abbey (at 12 Mary's Abbey). Davidson was succeeded as Rabbi by Julius Sandheim. The synagogue operated until 1892 when it moved to Adelaide Road.


Abbey lands became Glasnevin Cemetery

Dr. Charles Lindsay, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral (1804–46) and afterwards
Bishop of Kildare The Bishop of Kildare was an episcopal title which took its name after the town of Kildare in County Kildare, Ireland. The title is no longer in use by any of the main Christian churches having been united with other bishoprics. In the Roman Cat ...
, acquired the old monastic lands of Glasnevin, which had once belonged to the abbey. These were purchased around 1832 to form what is now
Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery () is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasnevin, Dublin, in two part ...
.


Re-discovery

The abbey was only rediscovered, 7 feet (2 m) underground and underneath a bakery, in the 1880s, by an amateur archaeologist. His findings were publicized by
John Thomas Gilbert Sir John Thomas Gilbert, LLD, FSA, RIA (23 January 1829 – 23 May 1898) was an Irish archivist, antiquarian and historian. Early life and education John Thomas Gilbert was born on 23 January 1829, the second son of John Gilbert, an English Pro ...
. Parts of the old adjoining walls can still be seen. The building is now in the care of
Heritage Ireland The Office of Public Works (OPW) (; legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Government of Ireland, Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of owned and ren ...
. The Chapter House is ordinarily open to visitors, by descending a stone staircase.


Recent developments

In 2023, as part of the excavation of the area for the construction of a hotel, the remains of over 100 skeletons dating back to the early 11th century were found on the site. In 2014, Trinity College Dublin paid almost €250,000 for a manuscript produced at the abbey dated from 1304.


See also

* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Dublin)


References


Sources

;Primary: * (2 volumes
Volume 2
on Internet Archive) * ;Secondary: * * * * * * * *


Citations


External links


Heritage Ireland web page about the abbey''History Ireland'' webpage about the abbey, from a 2011 issue of the magazine
{{Authority control 862 establishments Religious buildings and structures completed in the 860s Buildings and structures in Dublin (city) Benedictine monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Cistercian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Former churches in Dublin (city) National monuments in County Dublin 9th-century establishments in Ireland Abbey Street Demolished buildings and structures in Dublin