Kylemore Abbey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine nunnery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Republic of Ireland. The abbey was founded when Benedictine Nuns fled Belgium in World War I.
Originally called Kylemore Castle, it was built between 1863 and 1868 as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy politician from Manchester, England. After the death of his wife Margaret in 1875, Mitchell did not spend much time there. He and his wife are both burried in the church near Kylemore. Notable features of the abbey are the neo-Gothic church (built between 1877 and 1881), a miniture replica of Norwich Cathedral, made from local green Connemara marble, and the Victorian walled garden.
The abbey houses a secondary girls' boarding school, Kylemore Abbey International Girls' School. The house and gardens are open to the public.
[edit] External links
- Kylemore Abbey website.
- Letterfrack — official guide to Letterfrack, the Connemara National Park and Kylemore Abbey.
Categories: Religious building and structure stubs | European school stubs | Irish building and structure stubs | 1868 architecture | 1920 establishments | Monasteries in the Republic of Ireland | Secondary schools in Galway | Benedictine nunneries | Buildings and structures in Galway | Historic houses in Ireland | Gardens in the Republic of Ireland