St. Benan's Church
The St. Benan's Church ( English St. Benan's Church , Irish Teampall Bheanáin ) is located in the townland Killeany in the easternmost part of the Aran Island Inishmore in County Galway in Ireland . It was a hermit's oratory from the 11th century and is dedicated to St. Benignus of Armagh , a pupil of St. Patrick .
The church measures about 4.5 x 3.3 m, is about 4.5 m high at the gable and is considered the smallest church in Ireland. Because of the prevailing wind direction, the oratory is oriented north-south instead of the usual east-west orientation of early church churches. The roof covering has crumbled. The narrow door, which is now secured by a stile , is trapezoidal and tapers towards the top. There is a small arched window on the west side.
Nearby are the remains of a dun and a small clochan . Below the hill are the remains of a monastery with the stump of a round tower and the remains of a Celtic cross , which are part of a monastery founded by St. Enda in the 6th century.
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Coordinates: 53 ° 6 ′ 8.8 ″ N , 9 ° 39 ′ 57.8 ″ W.