Glenarm Friary

Glenarm, United Kingdom

In the early fifteenth century, Franciscan Third Order Regular communities began to be established in Ireland. In 1445 the archdeacon of Connor was sent a mandate by Pope Eugenius VI, authorising him to establish a Franciscan Third Order Regular friary in his diocese.

A 1580 map of the County Antrim coastline shows the friary at ‘Glanarme’ on the other side of the river from the castle. It was probably closed by the beginning of the seventeenth century, but its site continued to be the favoured burial place of the local population, including settlers from Scotland.

Little of the friary survives today, and what remains is not easy to interpret. It was aligned along the traditional east-west axis, so what was once thought to have been the chancel is now believed to have been a transept.

References:

larnehistoricchurchtrail.co.uk

Address

The Cloney 3, Glenarm, United Kingdom

See all sites in Glenarm

Details

Founded: 15th century
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom

More Information

larnehistoricchurchtrail.co.uk
antrimhistory.net

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Glenarm Castle (0,3 km)

Belfast City Hall (41,4 km)
St. Anne's Cathedral (40,7 km)
Albert Memorial Clock (40,9 km)
Grand Opera House (41,5 km)
Carrickfergus Castle (29,9 km)
Ulster Museum (42,9 km)
Belfast Castle (36,2 km)
Botanic Gardens of Belfast (43 km)
Parliament Building of Belfast (41,2 km)

User Reviews

Adam M (3 years ago)
This is a beautiful Victorian building with a Strawberry Gothick tower of the 1760's, set beside the ruins of a medieval friary founded in 1445. Revd Helen does a magnificent job of running the parish, and the church is often open during the day for visitors to explore it and pray.

John Dillinger (5 years ago)

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.