Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight S-facing slope. A well is marked on the 1839 and 1925 eds of the OS 6-inch map and described in gothic lettering on both as St. Helen’s Well. According to Hore (1900-11, vol. 4, 345-6) the dedication was to St. Helen, the mother of Constantine who was the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity in the early 4th century. She did not convert until late in life after Constantine, fighting under the sign of the Chi-Rho of Christ’s monogram, had defeated the Emperor Maxentius at the battle of Milvian Bridge on the river Tiber in AD 312. Helen devoted the rest of her days to church building in the Holy Land, and discovered the remains of the True Cross on Mount Calvary. She died in 326 or 328 AD. Her feast day is celebrated on August 18 (Butler 1883, 117), but there is no record of a pattern at this site. The well is not visible at ground level in rough pasture. Church site (WX049-012001-) is c. 10m to the NW .Archaeological monitoring (01E0118) c. 100m to the S at the closest point produced no related material (Moran 2001; excavations.ie 2001:1301).

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 4 February, 2014
Amended: 1 December 2020

References

Hore, P.H. 1900-1911 (Reprint 1979) History of the town and county of Wexford, 6 vols. Dublin. Published by arrangement with W.A. Hennessy Esq.

Butler, Rev. A. 1883 Lives of the Saints. J. S. Virtue London and Dublin, Reprint (1990) London. Studio Editions (Abridged)

Moran, J. 2001 Archaeological monitoring of topsoil stripping at Hookless Village, Houseland, Co. Wexford. Licence: 01E0118. Unpublished report, Author