Dunbrody Abbey is an Irish Cistercian abbey in County Wexford, near the town of Waterford. Founded in 1170, the building is known as one of Ireland’s longest abbeys (at 59 meters long!). A charming spot that will delight lovers of authentic ruins!
Dunbrody Abbey – Chris Brooks – cc
The abbey was founded around 1170, a few years after the Anglo-Norman invasions. Hervé de Montmorency, uncle of Richard FitzGilbert de Clare (nicknamed Strongbow) commissioned the project. The work lasted several years, and was completed in 1220.
Hervé de Montmorency was the building’s first abbot. He died there in 1205, aged 75, and was buried in the abbey.
After his death, the abbey enjoyed a major cultural and religious influence in the rest of Ireland. In 1355, however, the monks were accused of imprisoning Thomas Herlyn, a monk from Tintern, and stealing two of his horses. After a trial, the monks were finally acquitted.
The abbey was finally dissolved in 1536, during the conflict between the Anglicans and Irish Catholics. As early as 1542, the abbey was ceded to Henry VIII, then to the Etchingham family, and it wasn’t until 1911 that it was finally handed over to Ireland’s Office of Public Works, which specializes in the conservation of Ireland’s historic heritage.
The abbey is easily accessible on foot, and the visit is inexpensive (€2/pers.). Here you’ll find a truly exceptional piece of architecture, consisting of a 59-meter-long cruciform edifice with small chapels on each transept. Facing east, the abbey church complies with all the architectural dogmas of the time, but has unfortunately suffered the ravages of time, and is now partially in ruins…
It’s also possible to venture inside the abbey itself, and admire the vaults and arches, as well as the charm of these crumbling remains, which were once the pride of the monks.
Pretty cool visit!
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