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Ireland Photo of the Week: Every Tuesday, our friend Kevin Balanda is sharing a special photo from Ireland and telling its story here on Irlandnews. Kevin worked in Dublin for many years and now lives in West Cork. He enjoys taking his camera with him wherever he goes. This week we visit County Wicklow on the east coast of the island:

St Kevin’s Kitchen in the ancient monastic settlement of Glendalough, County Wicklow

This photo of St. Kevin’s Chapel looks across an ancient graveyard at the monastic settlement of Glendalough (meaning “valley of two lakes”) in County Wicklow. The chapel is commonly known as “St. Kevin’s Kitchen” as the bell tower resembles a kitchen chimney and it was mistakenly believed that food was cooked there. The settlement offers a sense of seclusion and an opportunity for reflection amidst the beautiful glacial valley in which it was built.

An early medieval monastic settlement was founded in the 6th century by St Kevin (or Cóemgen). He led a simple life of prayer here and his fame as a holy man quickly spread across Europe. After his death in 618 AD the settlement flourished for over six centuries and became one of the most famous ecclesiastical centres in Europe.

Although the destruction of the settlement by English forces in 1398 left it in ruins, it continues to this day as a place of pilgrimage. The buildings which survived probably date from between the 10th and 12th centuries and include a superb round tower, numerous medieval stone churches (St Kevin’s Chapel being the best preserved) and some decorated crosses.

The present remains in Glendalough tell only a small part of its story. As well as being a religious centre, it was also a centre of learning and community life. In its heyday it included workshops, areas for manuscript writing and copying, guest houses, an infirmary, farm buildings and dwellings for both the monks and a large lay population.

 

 

Photographic specifications: This photo was taken with a lens set at a 35mm focal length. Exposure settings were ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/180s. It was edited in Lightroom.

© Kevin Balanda

 

This story / page is available in: German