Rosserk Friary
Ruined Franciscan friary in County Mayo, Ireland
Rosserk Friary is a friary in County Mayo, Ireland and a national monument. Located along the River Moy, the friary was set up by the third order of Franciscans.
01History
Rosserk Friary is one of the largest and best preserved of the Franciscan friaries in Ireland. It was founded by the Joye family circa 1441 for the Friars of the Franciscan Third Order Regular.
Rosserk Friary and Moyne Abbey are located close to each other, north of Ballina on the west side of Killala Bay. Both were allegedly burnt by Sir Richard Bingham, Elizabeth I of England's governor of Connacht, in 1590 in Reformationist zeal.
02Description
The stone doorway leading to the church still shows fine workmanship and carvings. The church is built in the late Irish Gothic Style and consists of a single-aisle nave, with two chantry chapels in the south transept and a bell-tower suspended over the chancel arch. In the south-east corner of the chancel is a double piscina with a Round Tower carved on one of its pillars, two angels and the instruments of the passion.
The conventual buildings are well-preserved with three vaulted rooms on each side. The dormitory, refectory and kitchen were on the upper floor, where two fireplaces still remain back-to-back.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Rosserk Friary”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Rosserk Abbey plan, Co. Mayo, 1791.jpg by Grose, Captain Francis, PD
- RosserkFriary.jpg by JohnArmagh, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rosserk Abbey, Co. Mayo, 1791.jpg by Grose, Captain Francis, Public domain
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