Kilkenny Franciscan Monastery
The Franciscan Monastery of Kilkenny ( English St. Francis Friary , Irish Mainistir Phroinsias ) consecrated to Francis of Assisi was founded in 1232 or 1233 probably by Richard Marshal , Earl of Pembroke , in the Diocese of Ossory as the house of the Franciscans . In the course of the Reformation , the monastery was closed and the monks had to leave it in 1550, although they were able to return for a short period of time. The Smithwick Brewery ( St. Francis Abbey Brewery) has been on the site since 1710 ), which continues the Franciscan brewing tradition to this day.
Geographical location
Unlike the Dominican monastery , the Augustinian priory of St. John's or the St. Cainnech Cathedral , the Franciscan monastery was located within the city walls. The Franciscans owned the land at the northeast corner of the walled urban area, behind which the Nore , flowing from north to south, and its small tributary, the Bregagh , formed the natural boundaries. A disadvantage, however, was the comparatively low location on the soft alluvial land of the Nore, which was particularly exposed to the risk of flooding in the winters.
history
The exact time when the Franciscans came to Ireland is not known. It is believed that this could have been between 1224 and 1226, but there is no evidence that it happened before the death of Francis of Assisi. Their first settlements were in Youghal and Cork , two southern port cities in Ireland. Kilkenny Monastery was founded shortly thereafter in 1232 or 1233, making it one of the earliest Franciscan settlements in Ireland. No other Franciscan monasteries were founded in the Diocese of Ossory in the Middle Ages. The presumed founder Richard Marshall was not buried in this monastery, but in the Dominican monastery founded by the same family in Kilkenny, whose patron he also became after his brother William died in 1231.
The monastery received a royal grant to cover the construction costs in 1245. Another donation in 1246 enabled further construction and the repayment of accumulated debts. As early as 1267, a provincial chapter of the Franciscans in Ireland could be held in the monastery . The choir was enlarged in 1321 and the high altar was consecrated in 1323. In 1347 the monastery received permission to build a tower and carry out repairs.
The monastery was closed in 1540 as part of the Reformation . At that time, the monastery owned the church, the steeple, two rooms, a granary with three cellars, a barn, a kitchen, a cemetery, an orchard, two acres of enclosed land, a weir on the Nore, a water mill, a chapel, 18 residences and land, and over 100 acres of land outside the city walls. The value of the possessions was estimated at a total of 9 pounds and 7 shillings . Similar to the Dominican monastery, this monastery fell to the city in 1543. The monks had to leave the house in 1550. Under the reign of Maria I , the brothers were able to return in 1553, but had to leave the monastery again under Elisabeth I in 1559. After that, the monastery remained unused until 1612, after which it was again returned. The community had previously joined the Observants in 1609 . There was no return after the defeat of the Irish Confederation by Oliver Cromwell .
literature
- Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock: Medieval Religious Houses Ireland . Longman, London 1970, ISBN 0-582-11229-X .
- John Bradley: The Early Development of the Medieval Town of Kilkenny . From: Kilkenny: History and Society, edited by William Nolan and Kevin Whelan, Geography Publications, Dublin 1990, ISBN 0-906602-13-0 , pp. 63-73.
- Peter Harbison: Guide to National and Historic Monuments of Ireland . Gill and Macmillan, Dublin 1992, ISBN 0-7171-1956-4 .
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ See Gwynn and Hadcock, pp. 252-253; Harbison, pp. 202-203.
- ↑ See Bradley, p. 72.
- ^ A b See Gwynn and Hadcock, p. 236.
- ↑ See Gwynn and Hadcock, pp. 252-253.
Coordinates: 52 ° 39 ′ 21.3 " N , 7 ° 15 ′ 12.6" W.