Round Tower
Round towers were built all over Ireland between 900 and 1200 AD at monasteries. They served as bell towers, a place of refuge during attacks (by the Vikings), and storage places for valuables and manuscipts. The entrance inside the base of the tower is often 13 ft above ground and is reached by a ladder, which is bauled up from inside during attacks.
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Glendalough (glen = valley in Celtic, lough/ loch = lake, Glendalough = valley of the lakes) was an Early Celtic Christian monastery founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. It flourished for over 600 years well into the 1200s. During its heyday, Glendalough included church buildings, a cathedral, a round tower, workshops, an infirmary, farm buildings and dwellings for both the monks and a large lay population; it was also a centre of learning, and manuscript copying and writing.
It was badly damaged by English troops in 1398. Its final demise happened around the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 (blame Henry VIII).
Kevin of Glendalough’s life was not well-documented. He was said to have been born in 498 AD, out of one of the ruling families of Leinster. He studied priesthood and later founded the Glendalough monastery in the 6th century. He lived his life at Glendalough as a hermit monk, minimising outside contact. Nevertheless, his reputation as a holy man spread, and followers paid pilgrimage at Glendalough for centuries. St. Kevin supposedly died in 618 AD, suggesting that he lived for 120 years!
Round Tower
Round towers were built all over Ireland between 900 and 1200 AD at monasteries. They served as bell towers, a place of refuge during attacks (by the Vikings), and storage places for valuables and manuscipts. The entrance inside the base of the tower is often 13 ft above ground and is reached by a ladder, which is bauled up from inside during attacks.
xxxxx
Glendalough (glen = valley in Celtic, lough/ loch = lake, Glendalough = valley of the lakes) was an Early Celtic Christian monastery founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. It flourished for over 600 years well into the 1200s. During its heyday, Glendalough included church buildings, a cathedral, a round tower, workshops, an infirmary, farm buildings and dwellings for both the monks and a large lay population; it was also a centre of learning, and manuscript copying and writing.
It was badly damaged by English troops in 1398. Its final demise happened around the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 (blame Henry VIII).
Kevin of Glendalough’s life was not well-documented. He was said to have been born in 498 AD, out of one of the ruling families of Leinster. He studied priesthood and later founded the Glendalough monastery in the 6th century. He lived his life at Glendalough as a hermit monk, minimising outside contact. Nevertheless, his reputation as a holy man spread, and followers paid pilgrimage at Glendalough for centuries. St. Kevin supposedly died in 618 AD, suggesting that he lived for 120 years!