Hospital Church | |||||||
Native Name: | Teampall an Ospidéil | ||||||
Native Name Lang: | ga | ||||||
Pushpin Map: | Ireland | ||||||
Relief: | yes | ||||||
Coordinates: | 52.4763°N -8.4326°W | ||||||
Country: | Ireland | ||||||
Denomination: | Catholic (pre-Reformation) | ||||||
Functional Status: | inactive | ||||||
Embedded: |
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Years Built: | by 1215 | ||||||
Closed Date: | 1540 | ||||||
Length: | 35m (115feet) | ||||||
Width: | 9m (30feet) | ||||||
Floor Count: | 1 | ||||||
Floor Area: | 315m2 | ||||||
Materials: | stone, mortar | ||||||
Diocese: | Limerick |
Hospital Church is a medieval fortified church of the Knights Hospitaller and a National Monument in Hospital, County Limerick, Ireland.[2] [3] The church is located on Main Street, Hospital, to the west of the R513.[4]
The church was founded before 1215 by Geoffrey de Marisco (d. 1245) as a commandery of the Knights Hospitaller who had owned land in the area since 1200.
Conor O'Brien (Unknown-1203) buried here, was a Gaelic nobel and Knight Hospitalier who took part in the 3rd Crusade. He was knighted by King Richard I Coeur-deLeon, King of England, during the course of the 3rd Crusade. The Irish monks at the Abbey of St. Peter in Ratisbon, Germany recorded his oversea journey.[5]
The church was dissolved in 1540 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and then leased, along with its contents, to William Aspley, and then to the Browne family.
This is a fortified church built for defence, with high walls, prominent base batter and narrow arched windows. A tower sits at the west end with a partial barrel vault on the second floor. In the west wall is a medieval carving of the crucifixion of Jesus.
On the interior of the east wall are two 13th/14th tombs with effigies,[6] a double tomb depicting a knight and his wife.[7]