St. Columb's House
St. Columb's House (or St. Columcille's House) is an oratory and National Monument in Kells, County Meath, Ireland.[1]
| St. Columb's House | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Columcille's House | |||||||||
Teach Naomh Cholumba | |||||||||
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  St. Columb's House | |||||||||
| 53.728253°N 6.880766°W | |||||||||
| Location | Church Lane, Kells, County Meath | ||||||||
| Country | Ireland | ||||||||
| Denomination | Pre-Reformation Catholic | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| Founder(s) | Cellach mac Congaile, Abbot of Iona | ||||||||
| Dedication | Columba | ||||||||
| Relics held | Columba (formerly) | ||||||||
| Architecture | |||||||||
| Style | Celtic monastic | ||||||||
| Years built | likely 10th century | ||||||||
| Specifications | |||||||||
| Length | 5.8 m (19 ft) | ||||||||
| Width | 4.7 m (15 ft) | ||||||||
| Height | 7 m (23 ft) | ||||||||
| Number of floors | 3 | ||||||||
| Floor area | 27.3 m2 (294 sq ft) | ||||||||
| Administration | |||||||||
| Diocese | Meath | ||||||||
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Location
St. Columb's House is located on Church Lane in Kells, immediately northwest of the Abbey of Kells.[2]
History
St. Columb's House is today thought to mostly date to the 10th century. It is named after Columba (Colm Cille), whose relics it may once have housed.[3]:4
The roof was modified at a later date. The house was used by monks to say the Liturgy of the Hours, or possibly as a shrine church or burial place of an abbot. It once contained a large flat stone called "St Columb's Bed", possibly a grave slab. His relics were brought to Kells in 878, and moved to Skryne Church later before finally going to Downpatrick.[4]
Building
St. Columb's House is a rectangular building with a very high pointed roof. Internally there was originally a high floor 1.5 m (5 feet) above the ground, but this is gone.
The loft contains three separate rooms.[3]:4
An underground passage connecting the house with the nearby church is mentioned by the Annals of the four Masters and a 17th-century survey.[3]:4
References
- "St. Colmcilles House, Kells, Co. Meath, Ireland - Heritage Town".
- "Irish Monastic Life".
- Kells & District (PDF). Kells & District Tourism Forum.
- Drive, Boyne Valley (1 December 2013). "Kells Town & Monastic Sites".