Athassel Priory

The Athassel Priory ( ISEAL Irish Áth, "lower ford ") is the most extensive and oldest monastery in the Republic of Ireland. It is located in the county of Tipperary, off the beaten track, but will be opened up for tourism.

The monastery of the Augustinian Canons Regular, founded by William de Burgo fitzAdelm end of the 12th century. The buildings are almost exclusively from the 13th century and were changed only slightly in subsequent repairs. 1319 and 1329 destroyed Irish troops the monastery, because the Anglo-Norman de Burgo family supported the monks. By rebuilding it did not come, however, to major changes. However, further destruction in 1447 led to the decline of the monastery, because apparently the roof of the church was not rebuilt.

Construction and arrangement of the monastic buildings are committed to the style of the Cistercian monasteries. Especially reflects that rectangular choir, the chapter house, the transept chapels and the dormitory with Dormitoriumstreppe. A finely crafted portal to the refectory in the south is well preserved. The cloister but is largely destroyed and the once thriving urban settlement, which lay in front of the monastery, has disappeared.

In 2004, the 800-year -old monastery was included in the list of 100 most endangered cultural monuments ( List of Most Endangered Monuments ) of the World Monuments Fund 's. From 2009 substance- sustaining rehabilitation measures take place.