Film on Irish Monastic Architecture
Prof. Tina Waldeier Bizzarro
Monks
St. Patrick was Ireland's first bishop.
Q: What were Patrick's dates?
Enda (trained under St. Ninian) went to Aran Islands
St. Enda's monastery on Aran Islands (SE shore) (Inishmore) circa 418 AD
Monks ate their meals in silence, ate no meat, drank no wine, and worked daily.
Monks saw their lives as exercising self-control which rendered them closer to God.
Q: What kind of monasticism is this?
At Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly - St. Dermott
At Iona - St. Columcille
Also Saints Brendan, and Finian
Q: Tell
me something about St. Columcille and St. Finian and St. Kevin.
Early Crosses
Crosses, standing stones, and slabs with incised crosses are located within monastery
walls. E.g. at Inishmurray
Those inside were (and continue) to be used by pilgrims as stations
Round stones - prayer stones (from whence the expression: "Turning stones against
one's
enemy")
Clonmacnoise has between 400 or 500 ancient gravestones.
Desire on part of Christians to be buried ad sactos or near other holy people: therefore,
there are usually gravestones around monasteries.
Q: What
other buildings (aside from the main church) are in an Irish monastic complex?
Dress
Tunics with cloaks
Broaches - penannular
Q: What does penannular mean?
Long hair, moustaches, and beards on men
The Mass
Central to monks' spiritual life
Abbot should be "patient, humble, prayerful, firm, generous, equitable, and
mortified"
Gospel Books and liturgical objects: such as Ardagh Chalice and Derryniflan Chalice, were important
within sacrifice of Mass; ministerial chalices were highly decorated; enamel work was
skilled.
Q: Does
the decoration on the chalices shown in the film resemble any other decorative
forms you have seen in Ireland up to now? Which?
Holy Places
Monasteries began with two or three persons, with a church, living accommodations, and
graves of the founder.
Often, one finds a tentlike tomb with hold to allow touch to saints' bones
Even when abandoned, these places remain places of pilgrimage.
There are 600 or so early Christian sites, probably chosen originally by druids and
continued in use with Christians.
Often, there were never-dying fires, such as, for example, at Kildare, Inishmurray.
Q: Define
pilgrimage. Have you ever taken one? Why would anyone want to touch
a saint's bones or clothing on a pilgrimage?
Sites
Monasteries set up with eye for location (with good views) such as near water, lake, in
beautiful valleys e.g. Kerry, Ardmore; Drumcliffe in Co. Sligo was chosen by
beautiful tree; Glendalough, St. Kevin wrote earliest Irish nature poetry, written in an
Irish monastery.
Q: In Iron Age vernacular architecture in Ireland,
what types of settlements were set up at the edge of a lake and why?
Goal of many monasteries was to be remote e.g. on cliffs or rocks
Clonmacnoise at intersection of main road crossing Ireland
St. Mullin's, near Leinster
Clonard on border or Leinster and Meath
Cashel - at focus of several main roads
The cashel - constant feature of monastery; protective encircling
rampart of earth or stone
Q: What Iron Age architecture
type was fortified?
There were no real urban centers in Ireland. Q: Are
there today? Which?
Record of gifts of cashels to monastic community
Reask, Co. Kerry - substantial cashel
Wolves are plentiful in Ireland
Monastery had right of sanctuary; kept free of all acts of aggression; cashel delimited
area of sanctuary.
Q: Where in the Iron Age did the
average individual have total sanctuary?
Vikings pillaged monasteries; did not respect right of sanctuary
Inishmurray - complete cashel
St. Cuthbert
St. Kevin's, Glendalough
Cells
(clochans)
1 meal per day; water, tea.
Mud and wattle houses of monastery
Stone huts
Cells for one person (but up to 9)
Drawing of Reask (as it once was)
Beehive cell - Skellig Michael
Q: What architectural structure features do these
huts share with vernacular Irish architecture of earlier ages? Name the
ages.
Souterrain - underground feature of early monastery (for storage)
Lindisfarne Monastery
Early Churches
Gallarus Oratory, Co. Kerry
MacDara's Island with wooden church built in stone
Stone roofs tended to fall in and collapse
St. Kilmakedar (d. 636)
St. Molua's Church with 3' thick roof.
St. Flannan's Church
finials Q: Define
antae Q: Define
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