Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated c. 20m N of St Flannan’s cathedral (CL045-033006-) and c. 1.5m below the present ground level of the churchyard. A stone-roofed Romanesque oratory built c. AD 1100 under the patronage of king Muirchertach Ua Briain (1086-1119) (Gem 2006, 74). Several possible functions have been suggested such as a shrine for important relics (taking the fireproof nature of the stone roof into consideration), a possible place for royal burial or a subsidiary church to the main cathedral (ibid. 90-94). The oratory comprises a rectangular barrel-vaulted nave (int. dims. c. 8.8m x 5.3m) to the E of which was a contemporary chancel, which is now missing. The walls are of roughly rectangular blocks of mortared yellow and brown sandstone set on a simple plinth (H 0.2m) with larger stones used for the quoins. The N and S walls have a pronounced batter. The stone roof is neatly built and has been repaired (19th-century drawings show the roof disrupted by plant growth). A chamber with a pointed barrel vault above the nave carries the apex of the stone roof. The chancel also had a masonry vault and an outer masonry roof with a chamber in between. The chancel arch (Wth 2m; H 3m) is plain with a projecting chamfered abacus under the arch. The nave was lit by only two plain narrow lights with inclined jambs and stepped sills, one in each side wall towards the E end. The heads of the windows are formed of two slabs leaned together. The upper chamber is lit by a window in each gable wall of neat ashlar construction. The E gable window has inclined jambs with its head formed of two inclined slabs while the W window is round-headed. The W doorway (Wth 1m; H 2.5m) is highly decorative, well constructed and is integral to the original building. Externally the doorway is of three orders. The inner order is plain; the middle order is supported by short round columns standing on modern bases and has worn capitals which are decorated with animal and foliate carvings. The arch has a round roll moulding with a double hollow behind. The outer order has plain jambs. The arch is composed of two roll mouldings with a hollow moulding between. Externally there is a roll hood-moulding with very worn traces of dentil decoration. A cross-slab (CL045-033004-) lies in the interior. St Flannan’s Oratory is a National Monument in State care, no. 6. (Bradley et al. 1988; Gem 2006, 74-105)

The following images have been uploaded:

CL045-033003-_01.jpg View of oratory from the W with St Flannan's Cathedral in the background.
CL045-033003-_02.jpg View from WSW.
CL045-033003-_03.jpg View from SW.
CL045-033003-_04.jpg W doorway.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney

Date of upload: 15 January 2018

References

Large, S. 2011 A church and graveyard survey in County Clare. Database and photographic record. Clare County Council. Clare Heritage Forum. The Heritage Council.

Bradley, J., Halpin, A. and King, H.A. 1988 Urban archaeological survey - county Clare. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Gem, R. 2006 St Flannan's oratory at Killaloe: a Romanesque building of c. 1100 and the patronage of king Muirchertach Ua Briain. In Bracken, D. and Dagmar Ó Riain-Raedel (eds.) Ireland and Europe in the twelfth century: reform and renewal. Four Courts Press. Dublin.