Mellifont Abbey Aim
To enable students to visualise and understand monastic life through the study of archaeological remains.

Objectives
1 To be able to recognise a plan of a typical monastery.
2 To be able to identify the buildings within the monastery.
3 To be able to associate the various activities with the various buildings on site.
4 To be able to identify and name the principal features of medieval architecture.
5 To be able to reconstruct visually and in written form the life of a medieval monk.
6 To understand the importance of archaeological evidence in understanding the past.

Preparation
1 Make contact one week prior to visit if you intend to use the services of a guide.
(Guide available from May to October)
2 Coach hire necessary. Visit site prior to tour.
3 Entry (Booking advisable). Visitor's Guide (pamphlet)
4 Revise section on the Medieval Monastery, noticing various buildings and the tasks performed by the monks.
5 Familiarise students with layout of site: see plan.
6 Students to bring pen/pencil, clipboard - in plastic bag in case it should rain!

Fieldwork
1 Listen to Guide (No personal stereos!) and encourage students to ask questions.
2 Divide students into groups and direct them to various parts of the site. Complete worksheets.
3 Photograph interesting features.
4 Use a tape recorder to play a selection of medieval church music for atmosphere.
5 Collect worksheets.

Follow-up 1 Evaluation
1 Correct and revise worksheets.
2 A large scale modellplan could be constructed.
3  Write an account of the life of a monk in a medieval monastery.
4 Display labelled photographs/diagrams.

Syllabus Requirements
1)  In studying the Medieval Monastery, the approach is "interpreted through the surviving buildings (ruined or otherwise), settlement evidence with possibly artefacts and documents".
2)  2.2.3 of syllabus: "locate historical information from a variety of sources, e.g..
visual material, artefacts, buildings, settlements. . . "
3)  4.1.2 mentions an ability to use and interpret information from a variety of sources, including ... artefacts, buildings, settlements . . . "
4)  In the Guidelines for Teachers under the section on local history (p24) it is stated that "site visits will provide first-hand experience for students of unravelling evidence available at an historical site".

References
Kenneth MaeGowan: Old Mellifont Abbey. Kamac Publications
Mellifont and its Environs, An illustrated Guide and History. 1988
R Stalley: (The Cistercians in Ireland)
The Office of Public Works, through its National Monuments and Historic Properties Service, is responsible for the recording, conservation and presentation of Ireland's National Monuments. A very important part of its role is the creation of a greater awareness and understanding of our historic past. This is done by allowing access and providing interpretation at historic sites and by way of publications and educational projects and programmes. For further information, contact the Education/Publicity Officer, Heritage Services, the Office of Public Works, 51 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2.

Mellifont Abbey

  • Mellifont Abbey was the first Cistercian monastery established in Ireland. The Cistercians were a very strict order, one of whose members was St Bemard of Clairvaux.
  • A friend of St Bernard's, Malachy the Bishop of Armagh, decided to found a Cistercian monastery at Mellifont and had some Irish monks trained in Clairvaux. In 1142, four Irish monks and nine French monks came to Mellifont.
  • The building of the monastery began with a French monk and master-builder, Robert, directing its construction. The plan was that used by all Cistercian monasteries and was completed in fifteen years.
  • The first Abbot was an Irishman, Christian, and he received valuable gifts from the High King and others when the monastery was consecrated in 1157. By that time the French and Irish monks had quarrelled and the French returned to Clairvaux. St Bemard wrote to Malachy commenting on the Irish monk's lack of discipline and unwillingness to take advice. No more French monks came to Ireland.
  • Mellifont became a very wealthy and successful monastery and by 1212 there were twenty offshoots. There were many changes to Mellifont itself with building additions and alterations throughout the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.
  • In 1539 Henry VIII dissolved the monastery. It was given to Sir Edward Moore who converted it into a fortified residence. In 1690, King William of Orange used it as his headquarters during the Battle of the Boyne.
    •  Name_______________________________ Class__________   Melifont Abbey - Site Plan Using the above plan as your guide, walk through the site.
    Now explain what activities went on in the following areas. Area                                           Activity
    Chapter House  
    Lavabo  
    Cloister  
    Refectory  
    Infirmary  
    Warming Room  

    1 Go to the Church
    The Church was built in a cruciform shape. What does this mean?

    How long was the Church? feet/metres.

    Two monks had special seats. Who were they?

    Indicate on the plan where these seats were situated

    There are many tombstones in the Church. How many? &127;

    Where else in the Church were people buried?

    2 Find the Chapter House

    In what style of architecture was it built?

    Look at the tracery window and
    complete the sketch.     Look at the roof of the Chapter House. Ribbed vaults cover it.
    What does this mean?

    3 Find the Dormitories
    How many monks do you think slept here? &127;

    On what did the monks sleep?

    4 Go to the Infirmary.
    How long is the building? &127;How wide is it? &127;

    The building is quite large. What does this tell you about the monks?

    What title was given to the monks in change of the Infirmary?
    Beside the Infirmary is the Warming Room, the only room that had a fire lighting in it. What do you think it was used for?

      Notice the roof of the Warming Room.
    What name is given to this kind of roof?


    5 Go to the Refectory and Kitchens.
     
      What did the monks eat? How many times a day?
    In Summer                    
    In Winter                

    What was read to the monks during meals?

    6 Go to the Cloister Garth.
    How long is it? &127; feet/metres. How wide is it? &127;feet/metres.

    How long does it take to walk slowly around it? &127;minutes/seconds.
    What activities went on in the Cloister?

    7 Find the Lavabo.

    What was it used for?

    In what style of architecture is it built?

    How many sides were there to the building? &127;

    What material was the building made of?
    Compare it to the rest of the Monastery.


    Look at the pillars.
    Sketch one of the carvings you can see at the top.

    8 Go to the Western Range of the monastery.
    The lay monks lived there. How were they different to the monks?

    What work did they do?

    Follow up

      1. From your visit to Mellifont, what can you say about the choice of site for building a monastery?
      2. What other buildings do you think were built around the monastery?
      3. Draw one feature of Gothic architecture
      4. Draw one feature of Romanesque architecture
      5. Write about the life and work of a monk who lived in Mellifont.