St Nicholas church in Adare

If you’re passing through Adare, don’t miss its magnificent Augustinian church: St Nicholas church. Located in County Limerick, Ireland, this monastery was founded in the 14th century and was one of the region’s major religious sites. At the time, the site belonged to the Augustinian order, nicknamed the “Black Friars” after their dark cassocks. Today, the monastery is remarkably well preserved and well worth a visit!

Visit St Nicholas church in Adare

A place nicknamed “the black church”.

The Augustinian monastery was founded around 1315 by John Fitzthomas Fitzgerald, the first Earl of Kildare. It was usually nicknamed “the black church” in reference to the Augustinian monks who dressed in black.

The religious community living there was quite large, judging by the sheer number of buildings, including a church, cloisters, refectory and dining room.

The monastery remained like this for around 200 years. Then, in the 1530s, Henry VIII of England destroyed the monasteries in England, Ireland and Wales, and the Augustinian abbey was dissolved.

It is possible that the monks continued to live in the abbey after this, but they were definitively expelled between 1567 and 1585.

The church then remained in ruins for over 200 years.

In 1807, it was given to a small Church of Ireland congregation that existed in Adare. This congregation included the descendants of some Palatine refugees from Germany, who had settled in the region around 1708. Many of their descendants still worship St. Nicholas today.

The abbey was restored in the early 1800s, thanks to the Dunraven family. Since then, the site has been used for religious ceremonies and attracts thousands of visitors every year to admire its architecture.

For the record, the former refectory was for many years home to St. Mary’s National School. Nicholas, founded in 1814 by Lady Caroline Dunraven. The school is now housed in a new building constructed in 2007. The school celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2014.

Discover St Nicholas church in Adare

The church is fairly easy to get to and is one of Adare’s tourist attractions. Its architecture is remarkable, with its monumental stained-glass windows, crenellated square tower and local stone walls.

Don’t hesitate to enter: the church is superb, and the other parts of the monastery are a vibrant tribute to Irish medieval history!