Ardfert Abbey (Irish: Mainistir Ard Fhearta),[1] also known as Ardfert Friary, is a ruined medieval Franciscan friary and National Monument in Ardfert, County Kerry, Ireland.[2][3][4] It is thought to be built on the site of an early Christian monastic site founded by Brendan the Navigator. The present remains date from the mid-thirteenth century, with the residential tower being added in the 15th century. The friary was dissolved in 1584.
Mainistir Ard Fhearta | |
 Ruins of the abbey church | |
  Location within Ireland | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Ard-ferta-brenainn; Hertfert; Hyferte; Ifert |
| Order | Order of Friars Minor Conventual |
| Established | c. 1253 |
| Disestablished | 1584 |
| Diocese | Ardfert and Aghadoe |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Thomas Fitzmaurice, 1st Baron Kerry |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Inactive |
| Style | Late Gothic |
| Site | |
| Location | Ardfert, County Kerry |
| Coordinates | 52°19′49″N 9°46′26″W / 52.330162°N 9.773831°W |
| Visible remains | choir, nave, cloister, dormitory |
| Public access | yes |
| Official name | Ardfert Abbey |
| Reference no. | 358 |
History
editIt is thought that Ardfert was the original site of the monastery founded by Brendan the Navigator, which burned down c.1089.[5]
Ardfert Friary was founded for the Order of Friars Minor Conventual c. 1253 by Thomas Fitzmaurice, 1st Baron Kerry; he was purportedly buried here c. 1280–1.[6] In 1310 a disagreement with the Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe Nicol Ó Samradáin led to some friars suffering violent beatings.
A residential tower was added to the west end of the church in the 15th century.[7]
It was refounded in 1517 for the Observant Franciscan Friars and finally dissolved in 1584; Col. John Zouche turned it into a barracks. Some friars remained in the area. In 1590 it belonged to James FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond.[8]
In 1636 the friary was absorbed into the estate of the Earls of Glandore (Crosbie family).[9][10] In 1670 the 15th-century window of the church was moved to Ardfert Cathedral;[11] it was returned to the friary in 1815.
Buildings
editThe layout of the building follows the standard layout of most Franciscan friaries: a large church, a cloister, and residential offices.[12]
The church features a long nave and a chancel. A residential tower was added to the west end in the 15th century. It contains five floors, some with window seats and garderobes.
There is a thirteenth-century window divided into five lights at the east gable which would have lit up the choir. There are also nine lancet windows in the south wall; the design appears to be copied from Ardfert Cathedral.
Below the nine south windows there are 5 niche tombs added in the later centuries.[13][14][15][16][17]
Gallery
edit-
Nave and choir -
Cloister walk -
Cloister arcades -
South window -
Cloister and dormitory -
Arms of Susan Ann Crosbie -
Tomb niches -
Tomb niches
References
editNotes
edit- ^ "Saints and Stones: Ardfert Friary (Mainistir Ard Fhearta)". www.saintsandstones.net. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ "Ardfert Friary - TripAdvisor". www.tripadvisor.ie.
- ^ "Ardfert Friary founded 1253 by Anglo Norman Fitzmaurice clan - Ardfert Village". www.ardfert.ie.
- ^ "Holdings: Ardfert Abbey, Ardfert, Co. Kerry". catalogue.nli.ie. 1900.
- ^ Hickson 1895, p. 30.
- ^ Orpen 1914, p. 313.
- ^ Pochin Mould 1976, p. 170.
- ^ King 1986, p. 60.
- ^ Fraser 1844, p. 340.
- ^ O'Laughlin, Michael C. (1 March 1999). Families of Co. Kerry, Ireland. Irish Roots Cafe. ISBN 9780940134362 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hickson 1895, p. 31.
- ^ "Ardfert Cathedral and Abbey, County Kerry". 18 July 2013.
- ^ "Ardfert Franciscan Friary - Monastic Ireland". www.monastic.ie.
- ^ "Ardfert Abbey". megalithicireland.com. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
- ^ "Ardfert Franciscan Friary". irishantiquities.bravehost.com.
- ^ "Ardfert Friary: Ardfert, Co Kerry - Ireland Travel Kit". www.irelandtravelkit.com.
- ^ Toal, Caroline (15 December 1995). North Kerry archaeological survey. Brandon. ISBN 9780863221866 – via Google Books.
Sources
edit- Fraser, James (1844). A hand book for travellers in Ireland. Dublin: William Curry, Jun. and Company. p. 340.
- Hickson, Miss (March 1895). "Ardfert Friary and the Fitzmaurices, Lords of Kerry". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 5 (1): 30–40. JSTOR 25508195 – via JSTOR.
- King, Jeremiah (1986). County Kerry Past and Present: A Handbook to the Local and Family History of the County. The Mercier Press. p. 60.
- Orpen, Goddard H. (April 1914). "The Origin of the FitzMaurices, Barons of Kerry and Lixnaw". The English Historical Review. 29 (114): 302–415. doi:10.1093/ehr/XXIX.CXIV.302. JSTOR 551226 – via Google Books.
- Pochin Mould, Daphne D.C. (1976). The Monasteries of Ireland. London: B.T. Batsford Limited. p. 170. ISBN 0-7134-3090-7.