ORATORIES: EARLY CHURCHES.
EARLY MONASTIC LIFE--SKELLIG MICHAEL--GALLERUS--KILMALKEDAR--BISHOP’S
ISLAND--HIGH ISLAND--INISMURRAY--DESCRIPTION OF EARLY CHURCHES--
KILLINEY--KILTERNAN--ST. MAC DARA’S CHURCH--GLENDALOUGH AND ITS
CHURCHES--STONE-ROOFED BUILDINGS--FRIAR’S ISLAND--ST. COLUMBA’S
HOUSE, KELLS--ST. FLANNAN’S CHURCH.
It was long considered an established fact that the churches of
Ireland, previous to the twelfth century, were altogether constructed
of wood, or wattles daubed with clay. It was consequently held, on the
authority of Ware, that there remained in the country not a single
example of church architecture of a period much antecedent to A.D.
1148, in which year died Malachy O’Morgair, who is stated to have
erected at Bangor the first ecclesiastical building of stone that had
ever appeared in Ireland. The well-directed labours of George Petrie,
in seeking among the archæological remains themselves for evidence by
which their era might be determined, and in adducing the testimony of
Irish manuscripts relative to such structures as were in use at the
time of their composition, removed the veil of obscurity which had
so long shrouded the subject of Irish ecclesiastical antiquities.
He showed that the country not only contains examples of church
architecture of the earliest period of Christianity in the kingdom, but
also that they exhibit many characteristics of exceptional interest.
Though wood appears to have been the material of which the first
churches were built, where stone was not abundant and otherwise unused,
they were subsequently constructed of stone, and from their small
size and peculiar features are among the most interesting remains now
existing. The buildings called oratories were evidently intended for
the private devotions of the founders, whose graves are so frequently
to be found in their immediate neighbourhood. The most singular of
these are in the west and south-west of Ireland, and they are generally
in sequestered and isolated spots, not only on the small and almost
inaccessible islands off the coast, but on mountain tops and lonely
lake islands.
[Illustration: Clochaun na Carriage, Aran Island.]
Following the ascetic practices and the monastic life of the early
Eastern Church, these places, far remote from the abodes of men,
were selected as retreats by the early missionaries of the Irish
Church. On the wild and almost inaccessible Skellig Rock, on Slieve
League and Brandon Mountain, in Gougane Barra Lake, on High Island,
Inishglora, Inismurray, and numerous other isolated places, stone
cells and oratories were erected, alone or in connection with monastic
settlements. The clochaun form of building found in use was adopted,
and it was upon this type of rude structure that the first buildings
for Christian Church purposes were erected in these places. The
monastic cells soon changed from the pagan circular or oval shape, and
became rectangular, in the first instance internally, as we find in
those of the Skellig remains, which are of a very rude type, and are
perhaps the earliest of the kind now existing.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Plan of Monastic Settlement, Skellig Michael.]
_Skellig Michael._--The Great Skellig lies south-west of Valencia, and
about 10 miles from its nearest point. It is called Skellig Michael,
from St. Michael the patron saint of high places, as in the isolated
rocks in Cornwall and Normandy, also dedicated to him. The Skellig
rises magnificently to a height of 704 feet, and a flight of steps
originally ran up the face of the cliff to the settlement which stood
on an artificial plateau at a height of 545 feet, protected from the
edge by a fine cashel of similar masonry to Staigue Fort. The lower
portion of the path has been cut away by a new road to the lighthouse,
but 620 steps still remain leading to the ruins. These consist of six
beehive cells, two oratories, several cemeteries and rude crosses, two
wells, and the more recent Church of St. Michael. Five of the cells lie
close together in a row, one being at a higher level than the other
four; and in a line beyond to the north is a small oratory, right
on the edge of the cliff. The remainder of the buildings stand on a
lower level of the enclosure. All the buildings, except the church,
are constructed of dry rubble masonry. One of the cells is wholly
rectangular, and the remainder shaped as already stated; the roofs are
formed in the usual fashion, by overlapping, and a small opening was
left at the top to emit smoke. The oratories are similarly constructed,
but are entirely rectangular, and have a window facing the doorway. For
centuries the Skellig was a great place of pilgrimage, and men and
women alike performed it. Having visited the ruins, they climbed the
highest peak, an ascent which was attended with the utmost peril and
risk. The penance is not now practised.
[Illustration: The Great Skellig, or Skellig Michael.]
[Illustration: Bee-hive Cells, Skellig Michael.]
* * * * *
_Gallerus._--The Oratory of Gallerus stands about five miles north-west
of Dingle, and is the most beautifully constructed and perfectly
preserved of these ancient buildings now remaining in Ireland, and
is probably not excelled by any building of the kind in Christendom.
The plan is rectangular; it measures 15¼ feet in length by 10 feet
in breadth inside, and 22 feet by 18½ feet outside; while its height
without is 17 feet 2 inches at the west, and 13½ feet at the east end;
within, the height is 13¼ feet. The roof is formed by the gradual
approximation of the side walls from the base upwards. It is entered
by a square-headed doorway in the west gable, with inclining jambs, 5½
feet high, 21 inches at the top and 27 inches at the bottom (outside).
On each side above the lintel within is a projecting stone with square
holes in which the door hung. The east wall has a deeply splayed
window, with rounded top; it measures 15 inches by 10 inches outside,
and 39 inches by 21 inches inside, inclining to 18 inches at the top.
The batter of the walls is practically straight as high as the top of
the doorway, but from this it is curved ‘giving’ as has been said, ‘an
outline like that of a pointed Gothic arch.’ The surfaces of the stones
within show by the tool-marks that they were dressed flat, and this was
probably done after the courses were laid. At the apex of the east
gable is the socket of a mutilated cross.
* * * * *
_Kilmalkedar._--About a mile to the north is the ruined Oratory of
Kilmalkedar, similar in plan, general features, and nearly of the same
dimensions as Gallerus. It is earlier than the latter, the masonry
being of a ruder type, and the east window having a flat head, with
an inward and outward splay--a unique feature in so early a church in
Ireland. Another similar Oratory in the neighbourhood is Temple Gael,
also in ruins. It differs, however, from the two former, in that the
batter of the walls is straight and not curved.
[Illustration: Oratory of Kilmalkedar.]
* * * * *
[Illustration: Bee-hive House on Bishop’s Island, near Kilkee.]
_Bishop’s Island._--A very interesting example of the monastic cell
occurs upon the rock called Bishop’s Island, near Kilkee, upon the
coast of Clare. It measures in circumference 115 feet; the exterior
face of the wall, at four different heights recedes to the depth of
about 1 foot, a peculiarity not found in any other structure of the
kind; this was probably introduced with the view of lessening the
weight of the dome-shaped roof, which was formed, not on the principle
of the arch, but, as usual, by the gradual approximation of the
stones as the wall ascended. The erection of the Oratory adjoining is
traditionally ascribed to St. Senan, who lived in the sixth century,
and whose chief establishment was upon Inis Cathaigh, or Scattery
Island. It measures 18 feet by 12; the walls are 2 feet 7 inches
thick; the doorway, which occupies an unusual position in the south
side, immediately adjoining the west-end wall, is 6 feet in height, 1
foot 10 inches wide at the top, and 2 feet 4 inches at the bottom;
the east window splays externally, and in this respect is probably
unique in Ireland. Several large monumental pillar-stones stand at a
short distance from the church in an easterly direction, but they bear
no inscriptions or symbols. Bishop’s Island, or, as it is styled in
Irish, _Oileán-an-Easpoiggortaig_, _i.e._ the ‘Island of the hungry
or starving bishop,’ is a barren, precipitous rock, whose sides form
perpendicular or overhanging cliffs, about 250 feet in height. It
contains about three-quarters of an acre of surface, to which access is
most difficult, and only to be effected by a skilful climber, and after
a long continuance of calm weather.
[Illustration: St. Senan’s Oratory on Bishop’s Island, near Kilkee.]
* * * * *
_High Island._--The Island of Ardoileán, or High Island, off the coast
of Connemara, is also difficult of access, and landing can only be had
in calm weather on its precipitous and rocky shores. Here a monastic
establishment was founded by St. Fechin of Fore in the first half of
the seventh century. The ruins, now in a state of great dilapidation,
are near the centre of the northern part of the island which was cut
off from the remainder by a wall. The buildings were surrounded by
another wall or cashel with chambers, the remains of which are still
existing. The church was a small rectangular building, 12 feet by 9½
feet internally, constructed of small stones and uncemented. The door
is 4½ feet high with inclined sides, but the east gable is now defaced.
Many clochauns once existed, but these are mostly destroyed. North-east
of the church are two; one circular without and square within,
measuring 9 feet by 7½ feet high; the other is smaller. In Petrie’s
work the former is suggested to have been the refectory of the latter,
the cell of the abbot.
* * * * *
_Inismurray._--The Island of Inismurray, to which we have already
referred (pp. 21, 181), contains within and without its cashel very
interesting early Christian remains. It probably took its name from
Muiredach, a follower of St. Patrick, who placed him over a Church in
Killala. It is, however, entirely associated with St. Molaise, the
founder of the monastic establishment in this remote spot, and of whom
the _Martyrology of Donegal_ gives the following notice:--‘August 12th,
Molaisse, _i.e._ Laisrén, son of Deglan, of Inis Muiredaich, in the
north, (_i.e._ the north of Connaught); he it was who at the cross of
Ath-Imlaisi pronounced sentence of banishment on St. Columba.’[122]
[Illustration: Plan of Cashel and Monastic Settlement, Inismurray.]
In addition to the beehive cells already mentioned there are within
the cashel of Inismurray three small churches. Teach Molaise, ‘House
of St. Molaise,’ named after the patron Saint of the island, is the
most interesting; it measures internally 9 feet by 8 feet, with walls
of great thickness sustaining a complete stone roof. They are built
of stones, generally of large size, and set with mortar in irregular
courses; all except those forming the doorway and window casings are
rough and unhewn. Teampull-na-Bfear is perhaps more of a church than
an oratory, and forms an oblong 25½ feet by 12 feet. The ground on
which it stands is the burial-place for men, that for women being
at Teampull-na-mBan, or the ‘Women’s Church,’ outside the cashel to
the north-west. It is believed by the islanders that if a woman is
buried in the men’s ground the corpse will be removed, during the
night, by unseen hands to the women’s cemetery, and _vice versâ_.
Teampull-na-Teindh, or the ‘Church of fire,’ is the most modern, and
probably dates from the fourteenth century. There are three altars also
within the cashel, besides others without, numerous cross-inscribed
stones, two holy wells with beehive stone coverings, and the stations
of the pilgrims. The last station is Reilick Odrain, the ‘Cemetery
of Odrain, or Oran,’ the companion of St. Columba, who also gave his
name to a burial-place, Reilig Oran in Iona. St. Molaise or Laisrén,
of Inismurray, is not to be confounded with St. Molaisi Diamhinsi, or
Devenish, son of Nadfraoich, whose festival day is the 12th September.
In Devenish Island in Lough Erne will be found the house or oratory of
this saint, the walls of which were built of massive stones, but the
cell is now in ruins.
The progress of Christianity in Ireland in the first few centuries of
its establishment, and the missionary zeal of its apostles abroad,
brought the Church into close union with ecclesiastical foundations
in Britain and on the continent of Europe. To the connection thus
established is doubtless due the marked improvement in the architecture
of the early Christian churches from the primitive oratories,
although in these we see an advance in certain features on the pagan
clochaun. The early Churches show a further development in dressed
masonry, mortar-built walls, and high pitched roof, and, in point of
antiquity, they may be classed amongst the most remarkable structures
of primitive Christian times now to be found in Europe. Of their usual
characteristics we shall here give a brief description, referring the
reader who may desire more than a general sketch to Petrie’s work, the
_Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland_, in which the subject has been
fully discussed.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Doorway, Church of St. Colman Mac Duach, Aran Island.]
_Doorways._--The doorways are generally inclined and are covered by
a horizontal lintel, or headed with a semicircular arch, springing
from plain, square-edged imposts. Occasionally the arch is cut out of
a single stone. At Glendalough are examples in which the lintel is
surmounted by a semicircular arch, the space between being filled up
with masonry. The stones generally extend the whole thickness of the
wall. Few of the very early doorways exhibit any kind of decoration
beyond a plain projecting band, of which there are some fine examples
at Glendalough. The door appears to have been placed against the
interior face of the wall, as in many instances the stones, for a
distance of about three inches from the angle, have been slightly
hollowed, evidently for the reception of a frame. Great blocks of stone
form the lintels of some of the churches; that of St. Fechin, of Fore,
Westmeath, measures 6 feet by 2 feet, and is the full thickness of the
wall--3 feet. The lintel of St. Colman’s, Kilmacduagh, is nearly of the
same dimensions; and the doorway of the church of the same saint within
the cashel, at Kilmurvey, has a lintel 5½ feet long, 1½ feet high, and
extends the full thickness of the wall--2½ feet.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Window, Teampull Ceanannach, or Kilcananagh, Aran.]
_Windows._--These are invariably small, and, with one or two
exceptions, splay internally. They are headed, generally, with small
semicircular arches, either formed of several small stones, or cut out
of a single large one; but the horizontal lintel is common, as is also
a triangular head. The sides of the windows, like the doorway jambs,
almost invariably incline. They are rarely decorated, and then in the
simplest manner, by a projecting band, similar to that occasionally
found upon the early doorways, or by a small bead.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Window, Termoncronan, Co. Clare.]
_Choir Arch._--In the very ancient churches to which chancels are
attached, the connecting arch is invariably semicircular, square-edged,
and plain. In the earliest form the arch springs from the jambs without
imposts; but later these were inserted with chamfered edges, slightly
projecting, the arches sometimes rising from within the edge-line of
the jambs. The arch is usually formed of stones fairly equal in size,
well hammered, and admirably fitted to each other. The greater number
of primitive Irish churches, however, have no chancel, their plan being
a simple oblong. Where chancels, however, occur in these, they were
evidently a later addition, and were not bonded into the walls of the
nave.
* * * * *
_Masonry._--Generally the masonry consisted of very large stones,
well fitted together, as in work to which the term ‘cyclopean’ is
applied. Many of these vary from 6 to 17 or 18 feet in length; one of
the latter size runs the entire breadth of the church called Teampull
Ceanannach, in Inishmaan (Aran). In some of the oldest examples no
mortar appears to have been used; but these instances are very rare,
and mortar is generally found cementing enormous stones, but never in
large quantities. Near the sea-coast, sand and broken sea-shells were
used in making the cement, but in inland places a mixture of gravel and
earth. It seems originally to have been poured in a liquid state upon
the walls, and allowed to filter through.
* * * * *
_Roofs._--The roofs of most of the ancient Irish churches have long
disappeared; but several of stone still remain. The pitch of these
is exceedingly high, and they are constructed upon the barrel-vault
principle. Examples of this kind occur in St. Columba’s House at Kells,
in Cormac’s Chapel at Cashel, in St. Kevin’s House at Glendalough, and
St. Flannan’s at Killaloe.
* * * * *
_Belfries._--The _Cloictheach_, or Round Tower, appears to have been
the most usual belfry. The ancient structure at Glendalough, called St.
Kevin’s ‘Kitchen,’ supports upon its western gable a small tower which
appears to have answered this purpose. Bell-turrets, properly speaking,
were not common before the thirteenth century.
Such are the more usual and prominent characteristics of the early
Irish churches. It should be observed that the doorway, with few
exceptions, is invariably found to occupy a position in the centre of
the west end. The windows in chancelled churches are generally five in
number; one in the east gable, and one in each of the side walls of the
nave and choir.
We shall now refer more specifically to some examples of early churches
whose characteristic features come within those here classified.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Chancel Arch of the Old Church of Killiney, Co. Dublin.]
[Illustration: Doorway in Killiney Church, Co. Dublin.]
[Illustration: Pointed Doorway in Killiney Church.]
_Killiney Church._--The Church of Killiney, situated near the village
of the same name, at a distance of about nine miles from Dublin, will
be found particularly interesting to the student of Irish church
architecture. The length of the interior is 35 feet; the nave measures
but 12 feet 8 inches, and the chancel 9 feet 6 inches in breadth.
The church originally consisted of a simple nave and choir, lighted
in the usual manner, and connected by a semicircular arch; but, at a
period long subsequent to its original foundation, an addition, the
architecture of which it will be well to compare with that of the more
ancient building, has been made on the northern side. The original
doorway, which, as usual, is placed in the centre of the west gable,
is remarkable from having a cross sculptured on the under part of
its lintel. It measures in height 6 feet and 1 inch; in breadth at
the top 2 feet; and at the bottom 2 feet 4 inches. The next feature
to be noticed is the choir arch. This, which may be looked upon as a
most characteristic example of its class, measures in breadth, where
the arch begins to spring, 4 feet 7 inches, and at the base 4 feet
10½ inches; its height is only 6½ feet. The chancel windows display
the inclined sides so indicative of antiquity when found in Irish
ecclesiastical remains; but, with the exception of that facing the
east, they are in a state of great dilapidation. The east window is
square-headed both within and without, and exhibits the usual splay.
The comparatively modern addition on the north side of the nave, which
appears to have been erected as a kind of aisle, is connected with
the original church by several openings broken through the north side
wall. It will be well to compare its architectural features with those
of the older structure. The Pointed doorway offers a striking contrast
to that in the west gable; and its east window is equally different
from that in the ancient chancel, being larger, and chamfered upon
the exterior. The fact of a semicircular arch-head being cut out of a
single stone is of itself no proof of high antiquity, as it occurs in
many comparatively late structures in Ireland; and in England there is
to be seen in the Perpendicular church of Kirkthorpe, near Wakefield, a
door-head that exhibits this mode of construction.
* * * * *
_Kilternan Church._--The Church of Kilternan, situated near the little
village of Golden Ball, about six miles from Dublin, on the Enniskerry
road, presents several features of considerable interest. The south
side-wall and the west gable are original, and of great antiquity. The
latter contains a square-headed doorway, now stopped up with masonry;
and to supply its place, a Pointed entrance has been inserted in the
south side-wall. This alteration was made probably at the time of the
re-erection of the east end, the style of which indicates a period not
earlier than the close of the thirteenth century, about which time
the custom of placing the doorway in the west end appears to have
ceased. There are several other churches in the immediate neighbourhood
of Dublin which contain very primitive features; but they have been
altered and remodelled at various times, and are, upon the whole,
characteristic of later periods. Some of these we shall notice when
describing the Early Pointed style, as found in Irish churches.
* * * * *
[Illustration: St. Mac Dara’s Church.]
_The Church of St. Mac Dara._--The almost barren island containing
the church dedicated to this saint lies off the coast of Connemara,
due south of Roundstone Bay. The church is one of the most remarkable
examples of the small stone-roofed churches now remaining. It measures
14 feet 8 inches by 11 feet 3 inches internally; and the walls are 2
feet 8 inches thick; the side-walls project about one foot beyond the
gables, into which they are not bonded. It is lit by a round-headed
and deeply-splayed window in the east wall, and by a rectangular one
in the south wall. It is built of massive masonry, some of the blocks
measuring from 4½ to 5 feet long, and several feet wide. It had a
high-pitched stone roof resting upon the side-walls, portions of
which still remain. The walls of several circular clochauns, now much
defaced, lie north of the church near the shore. The island is still a
great place of pilgrimage, and passing boats have long been accustomed
to lower their sails three times in honour of the saint.
* * * * *
_Glendalough._--In the lone and singularly picturesque valley of
Glendalough (Co. Wicklow), surrounded by high, gloomy mountains,
upon which clouds almost continually rest, a celebrated monastic
establishment, round which a small city subsequently rose, was founded
in the early part of the sixth century by St. Kevin. The ruins of many
ecclesiastical structures yet remain; and ‘the long continuous shadow
of the lofty and slender Round Tower moves slowly from morn till eve
over wasted churches, crumbling oratories, shattered crosses, scathed
yew-trees, and tombs--now undistinguishable--of bishops, abbots, and
anchorites.’
St. Kevin was of the Royal House of Leinster, and died at a great age
in 618. We are told in a ‘Life’ of him that ‘on the northern shore
of the lake his dwelling was a hollow tree; on the southern he dwelt
in a very narrow cave, to which there was no access except by a boat,
for a perpendicular rock of great height overhangs it from above.’ He
attracted numbers of disciples to the place, and erected a monastery.
This was repeatedly devastated by fire and sword in the eleventh and
twelfth centuries, St. Kevin’s House being consumed in 1163, and the
city is described as having lain waste for forty years, and as being a
veritable den of robbers, ‘spelunca latronum.’ It suffered at the hands
of Dermot Mac Morrough, and was destroyed again in 1398.
That several of the existing churches formed part of the original
foundation, their style of architecture sufficiently indicates. A
cashel, or wall, appears usually to have enclosed most of the ancient
Irish monastic establishments. That such a work at one time existed
at Glendalough is certain, though scarcely a vestige of it at present
remains above ground. One of the gateways, however, stood until
Petrie’s time, which he compares to the Roman-built Newport Gate
at Lincoln; and his prophecy, that for want of care this monument,
unique of its kind, would soon cease to exist, was shortly after
partially fulfilled, upon the fall of the principal arch. The stones,
however, have been re-set, and the work possesses much of its pristine
appearance. It is 11 feet high, 9½ feet wide, and 16 feet deep; it has
external and internal arches, between which rose the tower.
The Church of Our Lady (a modern name) is believed to have been the
first erected in this part of the valley by St. Kevin, ‘qui ibi duxit
vitam eremiticam,’ and here he was buried. It consists of a nave 32
feet by 20½ feet, and a chancel 21 feet 4 inches by 19½ feet: but
the arch has fallen. The doorway is perhaps the finest of the kind
remaining, and exhibits in a striking degree that early Greek form
which is so very commonly found in the doorways of the most ancient
churches, of the round towers, and, though more rudely developed, in
the cahers of the pagan era. It is 5 feet 10 inches high, 2 feet 8
inches wide at the top, and 3 feet at the bottom, being formed of seven
stones of the thickness of the wall; the lintel, 5 feet 1 inch long,
has a cross on its soffit somewhat similar to that of Killiney.
[Illustration: Doorway of the Church of our Lady, Glendalough.]
The Cathedral, standing within the enclosure, is considered to
have been erected about the commencement of the seventh century,
and appears, from its name, dimensions, and position, to have been
originally the _Domhnach-mór_, or _Daimhliag-mór_, or chief church of
the place. Notwithstanding its present state of dilapidation, there are
in Ireland few structures of the same antiquity and extent that retain
so many original features. The nave is 48 feet 6 inches by 30 feet; the
chancel--25 feet by 21½ feet--appears to be of later date; the fallen
arch has been restored to about eight courses above the piers. It is
entered by a square-headed doorway, 6 feet 9 inches high, in which the
weight upon the lintel is taken off by a semicircular arch. The masonry
of the chancel is much less massive than that in the body of the
church, and, moreover, is not bonded into the nave, thus showing its
more modern erection. The east window was remarkable for its ornamental
character, possessing a chevron moulding and a sculptured frieze
running on either side from the spring of the arch.
The most interesting building in the enclosure is St. Kevin’s House or
‘Kitchen.’ This has been to all intents and purposes changed into a
church by the subsequent addition of a chancel and bell-turret, neither
of which, in all probability, belonged to the original building; the
chancel has been destroyed, but it will be seen on close examination
that the walls of the adjoining sacristy are not bonded into those of
the main building. ‘It will be observed also that the chancel arch is
of subsequent formation; for its semicircular head is not formed on
the principle of the arch, but by the cutting away of the horizontally
laid stones of the original wall, in which operation a portion of the
original window placed in this wall was destroyed, and the remaining
portion of the aperture built up with solid masonry.’[123] The arch is
9 feet high by 5 feet wide. St. Kevin’s House was thus originally an
oblong building, 23 feet by 15 feet, with a very high-pitched stone
roof, a barrel-vaulted room below, and a small croft between. It was
entered by a door on the west side, which is now blocked up; it was
square-headed, with the weight taken off the lintel by a semicircular
arch, as in the cathedral door. Above the west gable is the addition
of a small round-towered belfry, rising 9 feet from the roof. The
sacristy was apparently similar to the chancel, being stone-roofed
and ornamented with a rude string-course similar to that of the main
building. It is considered by Petrie that these additions took place
after the death of St. Kevin, whose name was held in such reverence
that naturally it was sought to convert his residence into a church.
Trinity Church, perhaps in a greater degree than any coeval structure
in Leinster, retains the original character of its various parts. It
is near the entrance to the glen, and possesses a fine specimen of
the square-headed doorway, and a choir arch, of its class one of the
finest in Ireland. The east window of the chancel has a semicircular
head, and the arch is cut out of a single stone; there is also a
triangular-headed window in the south wall; in fact, the building
has almost every characteristic of the more ancient style of church
architecture in Ireland, and each perfect in its way. There was
formerly a round tower belfry attached to the western end, which fell
in 1818.
St. Saviour’s Monastery, on the opposite side of the river, near
Derrybawn, is a singularly interesting ruin. It consists of a nave and
chancel, measuring together about 60 feet by 30 feet. The fine chancel
arch, which had fallen, has been restored; it is of three orders
resting upon clustered piers; the capitals are highly ornamented with
fantastic sculptured heads of animals, and the arch displays a variety
of zigzag or chevron moulding, showing work many centuries later than
the most primitive of the buildings.
[Illustration: Chancel Arch, Trinity Church, Glendalough.]
Reefert Church, on the south bank of the upper lake, was the first
founded by St. Kevin before he moved to the lower part of the valley.
It consists of a nave and chancel, the combined length being 43 feet
by 26 feet. The dividing arch is the full width of the chancel. The
doorway is of chiselled blocks of granite; it is 5 feet 9 inches high
and square-headed, with inclined jambs. The enclosure in which it
stands has been strangely interfered with by the Board of Works, and
laid out in a most artificial manner. It was the burial-place of the
O’Tooles; and an ancient inscribed tombstone, popularly said to belong
to the famous king of the tribe, has disappeared, having been broken up
and sold, it is said, by guides in the middle of the last century.
There are other remains of churches--the Priest’s House, St. Kieran’s,
and Temple na Skellig. There are numerous crosses; and the round tower
is one of the largest and most perfectly preserved now remaining. Much
attention is usually paid to the singular chamber called ‘St. Kevin’s
Bed.’ That it is altogether a work of art cannot be satisfactorily
demonstrated. Though, to a certain degree, its artificial character
is distinctly marked, it is quite possible that a natural cavity, the
sides of which have been roughly hewn and squared, may have existed
previously. The Bed, which is situated in an almost overhanging rock,
at some height above the lake, is said to have been the residence
of St. Kevin at some period when pursuing that course of study and
contemplation for which his name, even to this day, is revered; and the
celebrated St. Laurence O’Toole is said to have spent much of his time
in prayer and heavenly contemplation in this cavern.
The early monastic establishments had in their buildings none of the
features found in the monasteries of the great Orders of a later
period. No remains are found at Glendalough, or elsewhere in Ireland,
of great houses, like those of the twelfth and following centuries,
for the accommodation of large numbers. The abbot and other members
of the community had each his own cell, with such buildings as were
needed for guest-house, kitchen, and the like. These were, no doubt,
of a primitive type and perishable material, as all traces of such
structures have long since disappeared. A marked peculiarity of
the churches in these places is their small size. It seems that as
accommodation was required, additional small churches were built, and
hence the many spots in Ireland noted for their collection of such
buildings.
A few structures known as ‘Houses,’ of which St. Kevin’s, already
described, is the best-known example, are stone-roofed and vaulted, and
seem to have combined the purpose of an ordinary dwelling-house with
that of an oratory, and are thought to have been the residence of the
abbot. The church on Friar’s Island, Killaloe, is another and early
example, showing the transitional stage from the false to the true
arch. The chancel measures 10½ feet by 6½ internally, and the walls are
3 feet thick; a very low chamber exists beneath the stone roof. The
principle introduced in the barrel vaulting of these buildings was to
lighten the weight of the heavy stone roof. A space was thus formed
between it and the upper floor of the vaulting, which was turned to
domestic use the more readily when divided by walls. The stone roofs
possess no principle of the arch; they are built of rectangular slabs
of dressed stones, well fitted for weather purposes, the top being
finished with angular coping-stones.
* * * * *
[Illustration: St. Columba’s House, at Kells, Co. Meath.]
_St. Columba’s House._--Another example of this class, less rude than
that of Friar’s Island, occurs in the structure called St. Columba’s
‘House,’ at Kells, Co. Meath. It has a barrel-vaulted roof, which
is completely devoid of ornament, and springs from the side-walls
separating the body of the building from a small croft, to which access
was originally gained by a quadrangular opening, about 19 inches in
breadth, adjoining the west gable. Two walls, crossing and resting
upon this arch, and pierced each with a small semicircular-headed
doorway, together with the gables, support a roof of stone; the total
height is 38 feet. The lower apartment was lighted by two windows,
one in the centre of the east end, the other in the south side-wall.
Both windows are small, and splay inwardly; that to the east is formed
with a semicircular arch, while the other presents a triangular head.
The ancient doorway, which was 8 feet from the ground, in the west
end, has been almost obliterated; the doorway in the south wall is a
later addition. The _Annals of Clonmacnoise_ mention, under date 804,
that ‘a new church was founded in Kells in honour of St. Columb Kill.’
This probably points to the early part of the ninth century for the
erection of these structures. Kells has a remarkably perfect round
tower, several crosses, and has given its name to ‘the most elaborately
executed monument of early Christian art in existence’--the _Book of
Kells_.
[Illustration: Window in St. Columba’s House.
(From the interior.)]
* * * * *
_St. Flannan’s Church._--This building, which is similar to the
‘Houses’ of St. Kevin and St. Columba, is the best built of the class,
and adjoins the Cathedral of Killaloe. The nave is 29 feet long, 18
feet broad, and the walls are about 3½ feet thick; the chancel is
in ruins, and appears to have been about 12 feet broad. The arch is
plain with inclined jambs, and is 8½ feet in height. The nave is
barrel-vaulted, and the croft lit by a semicircular-headed window in
the west gable, and a triangular-headed one in the east. It is entered
by a remarkable doorway in the west gable; the jambs are inclined,
and support a series of recessed semicircular arches. The church is
attributed to Brian Boru, but Petrie considered it much earlier. The
doorway cannot be earlier than the tenth century; and the probability
is that Brian re-edified the building, as he did the Church of
Iniscaltra.