Tuesday 12 December 2017

Monastery of St Francis (Walsh)

From Fr. Walsh's History of the Irish Hierarchy With the Monasteries of Each County, Biographical Notices of the Irish Saints, Prelates, and Religious, 1854,c. xliv p. 427.


Monastery of St. Francis was erected in the year 1235, Ralph le Porter having given the site in that part of the city now called Francis street and King Henry III patronizing the building.

AD 1293 King Edward I granted a pension of thirty five marcs yearly to the Franciscans of Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Drogheda.

AD 1308 John le Decer mayor of Dublin built a chapel in this monastery in honor of the Virgin Mary.

AD 1309 Roger de Heton guardian of the order in Dublin and Walter de Prendergast lecturer of the same were witnesses against the knights Templar. A provincial chapter was held in this year in the monastery of St. Francis.

AD 1332 died their generous benefactor John le Decer and was interred in this monastery.

In the twenty fourth of Henry VIII the convent with its appurtenances, four houses in Francis street and six acres of meadow near Clondalkin, was granted to Thomas Stephens to be held in capite forever at the annual rent of 2s Irish.

The Franciscans are again established in Dublin and have erected a splendid church on Merchant's quay.

Monastery of Witeschan

From Walsh's History of the Irish Hierarchy With the Monasteries of Each County, Biographical Notices of the Irish Saints, Prelates, and Religious, 1854, c. xliv p. 421

Monastery of Witeschan of which there is but slight mention made. It was situate in the west part of Dublin passing from the cathedral of St. Patrick through the Coombe to the pool of the house of St. Thomas the Martyr. There was an order of friars de penitentia who were also called the sac friars. Their origin was in the year 1245 and their arrival in Ireland took place in 1268. The order did not long survive it was condemned in England in 1307 and its houses passed into other hands and in 1311 the council of Vienne condemned the Order everywhere. This monastery of Witeschan may have been of that Order.