Jerpoint Abbey

Just south of Kilkenny (on the way to Waterford) is one of the fullest intact abbey ruins in Ireland. We took the short drive to visit the ruins (the first of many I would add here).

This country has had many trials in regards to faith and loyalty to the crown. King Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries' and the result was the intentional destruction of many churches (not to mention the removal of lands and rights from Catholics via the Penal Code).

This Cistercian monastery was one of many that suffered from roofs that were burned with the hope that the buildings would be left for ruin via exposure. We have traveled all over this country and seen dozens of ruined abbeys/churches with roofs missing. It is troubling to see the destruction caused but also somewhat ironic: here we are touring this country and its many (Catholic) ruins that somehow have survived centuries. Henry's hatred of Catholicism had much more to do with his self-serving desire to want to marry a previously married woman and much less to do with the religion itself. In the end, the legacy of the story survived and that is the story we hear today in Ireland.

I can't help but feel empathy: our country fought for freedoms from Brittan and so has Ireland. There have many times on this trip when I feel like I have seen the destructive outcome of a ruling country we sought to escape ourselves.  

It was raining when we started our visit at Jerpoint but that didn't stop our guide or us from touring the ruins for over an hour and taking photos. Some of the most interesting parts about Jerpoint are the icons and imagery used around the abbey. The symbolism of the many images and the size of the abbey left lasting impressions on all of us. Everything from the image of Saul engraved on a crypt to the images of local patrons gracing columns left a lasting impression.