Killybegs Monastery

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Southwest view of the nave

The monastery Killybegs ( English Killybegs Friary ) was around 1535 to 1540 by the family Mac Suibhne of Banagh than Catherine of Alexandria dedicated home for Third Order of the Franciscan Order in Killybegs on the south coast of Donegal in the diocese of Raphoe in Ireland founded. After the Reformation , the church served as an Anglican parish church until 1829 .

history

The time and the exact circumstances of the establishment are unclear. Gwynn found no evidence or gave no information. Lacy suspects that the nave could be from the 15th century. There was even suspicion that it might have been a Dominican house until this could be refuted by CP Meehan, who found evidence from 1616 naming Killybegs as the Terziare house. Spears has dealt with the spread of the cult of Catherine in Ireland and believes that it was founded between 1535 and 1540 by the then head Toirdealbhach of the Mac Suibhne von Banagh, who lived in Killybegs, in memory of the recently deceased Máire Ní Mháille, wife of Ruidhrí, the head of the Mac Suibhne from Fanad in the north of Donegal, who contributed greatly to the spread of the Cathar cult in Donegal.

Máire Ní Mháille comes from the O'Malley family from Mayo , who were very religious and u. a. founded the Murrisk Monastery . It seems very plausible that in this way Máire took over the cult of Catherine and received a manuscript with the Latin vita. In 1513 she had this vita translated into Irish by Mac Fhionnghaill of Tory Island . Spears suspects that the reason for this was the death of her brother Owen, who was the leader of a pirate attack in the port of Killybegs on November 25, 1513 by members of the Banagher branch of the Mac Suibhnes. Apparently she got into a serious conflict because she mourned her brother on the one hand, but also wanted to remain loyal to her Mac Suibhnes family on the other. It was her interest, says Spears, to bring about the rescue of her brother Owens through the help of St. Catherine and prayers. And at the same time, this was one way she could forgive her brother's death as well. Accordingly, Toirdealbhach saw it as his obligation to found the monastery in her memory after the death of Máire.

Katherinenquelle in the immediate vicinity of the monastery

In the immediate vicinity of the monastery is a sacred spring also dedicated to Catherine . It is very likely that this was first dedicated to a local saint, but was then rededicated with the arrival of the Franciscans. This was not uncommon, and there are other examples of it as well. The spring is still a place of pilgrimage to this day, with a procession to the spring once a year on a suitable day around November 25th , provided the weather permits.

In the course of the Reformation , the house was closed around 1600. The Mac Suibhnes converted to the Anglican Church and from 1615 the monastery church served as the Anglican parish church. In 1622 her condition was described as good. During the rebellion that began in 1641 , the Franciscans may have returned. It then continued to be used as an Anglican church, and extensive repairs were made around 1655. It was used continuously until the new parish church was built in 1829. Since then the church has fallen into ruin.

architecture

The church consists of a nave measuring 15.6 m × 5.2 m inside, to which a north transept with an inside of 6.6 m × 5.15 m is connected in the choir area. Lacy sees three construction periods: In his opinion, the nave is from the 15th century, the transept is an addition from the 16th century and the south arch of the transept, the changes to the windows and the porch protecting the entrance on the west side from the 17th century . or 18th century.

literature

  • Aubrey Gwynn , R. Neville Hadcock: Medieval Religious Houses in Ireland . Longman, London 1970, ISBN 0-582-11229-X , pp. 272 .
  • Brian Lacy: Archaeological Survey of County Donegal . Donegal County Council, Lifford 1983, ISBN 0-9508407-0-X , pp. 334-335 .
  • Arthur Spears: The Cult of Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Ireland . Rathmullan and District Local History Society, Rathmullan 2006, ISBN 978-0-9540888-1-1 .

Web links

Commons : St. Catherine's Friary, Killybegs  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Gwynn, p. 269; on dating: Spears, p. 94.
  2. ↑ a b Lacy, p. 334.
  3. ↑ a b Gwynn, p. 267.
  4. ↑ Lacy, p. 335.
  5. ↑ Spears, p. 110, footnote 142.
  6. ↑ a b Spears, p. 94.
  7. ↑ Spears, pp. 94-95.
  8. ^ Spears, p. 93.
  9. ↑ Spears, pp. 26, 110; Pictures from the procession on November 25th, 2012: St Catherine of Alexandria. on killybegsonline.org
  10. ↑ Lacy, pp. 334-335.

Coordinates: 54 ° 37 ′ 43.3 "  N , 8 ° 26 ′ 38.1"  W.