22-581: Gallen Abbey or Gallen Priory is a medieval monastery and National Monument located in County Offaly , Ireland. Gallen Abbey is located on the south bank of the Brosna , about 1 km south of Ferbane . Gallen Abbey was established in AD 492 by Saint Canoc, a son of Saint Brecan . Saint Canoc settled near modern-day Ferbane in 492, which at the time was in the territory of Delbhna Eathra . The Abbey
44-488: A central tower and terminating westwards in a massive residential castle. The Hall of the Vicars Choral was built in the 15th century. The vicars choral were laymen (sometimes minor canons ) appointed to assist in chanting the cathedral services. At Cashel, there were originally eight vicars choral with their own seal . This was later reduced to five honorary vicars choral who appointed singing-men as their deputies,
66-714: A practice which continued until 1836. The restoration of the Hall was undertaken by the Office of Public Works as a project in connection with the European Architectural Heritage Year, 1975. Through it visitors now enter the site. In 1647, during the Irish Confederate Wars , Cashel was sacked by English Parliamentarian troops under Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin . The Irish Confederate troops there were massacred, as were
88-565: Is an index to lists of National Monuments of the Republic of Ireland, divided by province . Rock of Cashel The Rock of Cashel ( Irish : Carraig Phádraig [ˈkaɾˠəɟ ˈfˠaːd̪ˠɾˠəɟ] ), also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock , is a historical site located at Cashel , County Tipperary , Ireland . According to local legends, the Rock of Cashel originated in
110-580: Is numbered (for example, the Rock of Cashel is National Monument number 128, Newgrange is number 147), and a numbered monument may represent a group of sites, as is the case at the Rock of Cashel. A provision of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004 allows for the destruction in whole or in part of a national monument by the Government of Ireland if such destruction is deemed to be in
132-620: The Devil's Bit , a mountain 20 miles (30 km) north of Cashel when St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave, resulting in the Rock's landing in Cashel . Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by Saint Patrick in the 5th century. The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion . In 1101 ,
154-840: The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . After the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, this framework was reformed by the National Monuments Act 1930. The list of national monuments has since been expanded. By 2010 there were nearly 1,000 monuments in state ownership or guardianship, although this represents only a small proportion of Ireland's recorded archaeological heritage. There are more than 126,000 known sites ['Recorded Monuments'] in Ireland. Each national monument
176-777: The Rule of St. Augustine . Irish monks, including those at the Gallen Abbey, reluctantly conformed to the Catholic Church 's demands, and gradually abandoned the Irish Church's Celtic traditions. Around this time, the Mac Coughlan family rose to power in the region that surrounded the abbey. The heads of the family usually combined the offices of ruler of the clan and Prior of the monastery. The Mac Coughlan family would continue to remain prominent in local politics until
198-429: The nave and chancel are strongly suggestive of their Germanic influence, as this feature is otherwise unknown in Ireland. Other notable features of the building include interior and exterior arcading, a barrel-vaulted roof, a carved tympanum over both doorways, the magnificent north doorway and chancel arch and the oldest stairs in Ireland. It contains the only surviving Romanesque frescoes in Ireland. The chapel
220-618: The "public interest". According to press reports, these provisions were included to facilitate road schemes, and in particular the destruction of Carrickmines Castle , a national monument, to build an intersection along the south-eastern section of the M50 motorway . Two national monuments are also recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites : Brú na Bóinne in County Meath and Skellig Michael in County Kerry. The following
242-521: The 18th century. Despite the proclamation of the Plantations of Laois and Offaly in 1556, fierce guerilla warfare against British troops by the local citizens stalled English settlement of the area for fifty years. In 1571, George Bouchyer was to be granted control over the lands around the abbey. After several disputes over the ownership of the land, Sir Gerard Moore was granted the land in 1612 for an annual rent of £ 3-12-2. These lands consisted of
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#1732786812280264-527: The Catholic clergy, including Theobald Stapleton . Inchiquin's troops looted or destroyed many important religious artefacts. Sometime during or after the mid-1730s, the main cathedral roof was destroyed by Arthur Price , the Anglican Archbishop of Cashel . Today, what remains of the Rock of Cashel has become a tourist attraction. Price's decision to remove the roof on what had been called
286-525: The King of Munster, Muirchertach Ua Briain , donated his fortress on the Rock to the Church . The picturesque complex has a character of its own and is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture to be found anywhere in Europe. Few remnants of the early structures survive; the majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries. Cormac's Chapel,
308-405: The chapel of King Cormac Mac Carthaigh , was begun in 1127 and consecrated in 1134. It is a sophisticated structure, with vaulted ceilings and wide arches, drawing on contemporary European architecture and infusing unique native elements. The Irish Abbot of Regensburg , Dirmicius of Regensburg , sent two of his carpenters to help in the work and the twin towers on either side of the junction of
330-550: The church, a cemetery, five cottages and two gardens in the town of Gallen, forty acres of farmland, and thirty acres of pastures and forests. The last family to own the abbey lands were the Armstrongs – a family of Scottish origin who had come to the region before 1745. In 1841, Andrew Armstrong was created a baronet , and it was from his grandson, Sir Andrew Harvey Armstrong, that the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny purchased
352-438: The jewel among Irish church buildings was criticised before and since. Queen Elizabeth II visited the Rock of Cashel during her 2011 visit to Ireland. The oldest and tallest of the structure is the well preserved round tower 28 metres (92 ft) high, dating from c.1100. Its entrance is 3.7 metres (12 ft) from the ground, necessitated by a shallow foundation (about 1 metre (3 feet) typical of round towers. The tower
374-403: The oldest building at the site of the former abbey dates to the 11th century. Despite much resistance, the Irish Church was reformed in the 12th century, allowing Papal authority to be more fully exercised in Ireland. Religious orders were especially affected, as The Lateran Council of 1159 had urged the clergy of Cathedrals and Collegiate Churches to adopt some form of regular life, in particular
396-599: The property in 1923. National Monument (Ireland) A national monument ( Irish : séadchomhartha náisiúnta ) in the Republic of Ireland is a structure or site, the preservation of which has been deemed to be of national importance and therefore worthy of state protection. If the land adjoining the monument is essential to protect it, this land may also be protected. Equivalent monuments in Northern Ireland are termed scheduled monuments and come under
418-715: The protection of the Department for Communities . National monuments are managed under the auspices of the National Monuments Service, which is part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage . The official status of national monument is conferred under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014. Monuments had been protected under the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882 , an Act of
440-416: Was built using the dry stone method. Modern conservationists have filled in some of the tower with mortar for safety reasons. The entire plateau on which the buildings and graveyard lie is walled. In the grounds around the buildings an extensive graveyard includes a number of high crosses . Scully's Cross, one of the largest and most famous high crosses here, originally constructed in 1860 to commemorate
462-431: Was constructed primarily of sandstone which has become waterlogged over the centuries, significantly damaging the interior frescoes. Restoration and preservation required the chapel be completely enclosed in a rain-proof structure with interior dehumidifiers to dry out the stone. It is now open for limited tours to the public. The cathedral, built between 1235 and 1270, is an aisleless building of cruciform plan, having
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#1732786812280484-402: Was damaged in the 820s when Tnúthgal mac Donngaile , the king of Munster , invaded Delbna Eathra, the area in which the abbey was located. The monastery was later restored by Welsh monks, who turned it into a school. In 949, Cellachán Caisil , another king of Munster, invaded Delbna Eathra and nearly demolished the abbey. A stone church on the abbey grounds was destroyed in the attack, and today
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