Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Just 4m N of the Cathedral (CL067-024008-) on Scattery Island and on the same alignment is a small Romanesque nave and chancel church (max. ext. dims. 12.04m E-W; 5.44m N-S). The church fits into the angle created by the NW angle of the cathedral sacristy. Sadly its decorative features have been reduced to the foundations or entirely removed. The walls of the nave (int. dims. 6.54m E-W; 3.86m N-S) are reduced to c. 2m high, but the doorway (Wth 0.92m) in the S wall (T 0.82m) is almost entirely removed, except for the basal stones. It is interesting to note that this doorway is towards the E end of the wall, rather than the W. There is a single inserted light (Wth 0.28m; H 0.66m) in the W wall. The chancel (int. dims. 2.4m N-S; 2.73m E-W) has a small altar against the E wall (L 1.7m; D 0.9m; H 0.5m). The chancel arch is reduced to the basal stones. It had four orders, creating arches decreasing in width towards the chancel (Wth 2.51m; 2.14; 1.82m; 1.53m). The voussoirs were decorated with chevrons. Only the outermost order projected into the nave. The outer and innermost orders are three-quarter attached pillars with mouldings between them, while the other two are just half pillars. The S pier is better preserved, but the church walls are badly conserved here so that the SE corner of the nave forms an obtuse angle. See Ní Ghrádaigh (2006) for a discussion on the Romanesque fragments. (Westropp 1897, 284; 1900-02, 170; Ní Ghrádaigh 2006, 26-30)This is a national monument in state care, no. 10.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney

Date of upload: 12 September 2016

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 1/1971).

References

Westropp, T.J. 1897 Descriptive sketch of places visited. Part 1. Scattery Island and Canons' island, Co. Clare. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 27, 273-90.

Ní Ghrádaigh, J. 2006 Scattery Island's forgotten Romanesque. Archaeology Ireland 20, (4), 26-30.

Westropp, T.J. 1900-02 The churches of Co. Clare and the origin of the ecclesiastical divisions in that county. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Series 3, vol. 6, 100-180.