(Site of) St. Anns Chapel — Glassavullaun

Kilmasantan (Bishop St Santán) Church ruins annotated St Ann's Chapel on historic OSi maps, stands on an early Christian monastery (DU025-033----) founded by St Santán also known as Bishop Sanctan, probably in the 6th-century. Situated in the upland river valley of Glenasmole in the E quadrant of a raised graveyard (DU025-033002-) on the W facing slope of rising ground overlooking the E bank of the River Dodder. In 1179 this church and its lands were a sub-manor of Tallaght and formed part of the extensive church lands of the See of Dublin. This manor occupied the upper eastern Dodder Valley (Nolan 1992, 185). The 1302-07 Ecclesiastical Taxation of the See of Dublin valued 'Kylmesantan [i.e., Collmesantan ch. of Saxler] at 100s. per annum with the tithe valued at 10s. (Cal. doc. Ire. vol. V, 237). Shearman (1876, 92) recorded that 'the ruins of the old church, and St. Sanctan's Well, are still extant in Glenasmole, and by a very facile adaptation of sound, the old name is changed to Kill St. Anne. A new church has been lately erected near the old site; it is dedicated to St. Anne'. In 1615, the Royal Visitation of Dublin recorded that in the Deanery of Tany, there was the church of ‘Kilmasundon annexa vicari de Tawlaght’ Kilmasantan annexed to the vicarage of Tallaght [DU021-037003-] which was served by the curate Thomas Drakeshawe (Ronan 1941, 32). According to Ronan (1941, 32); ‘Kilmasundon is Cill escuip Sanctain or Cill Mo-Sanctan. He was evidently one of the many Briton missionaries to Ireland of the early 6th century, and formed a community here, as, at 952, is the entry of the obit of "Caenchomraic, abbot of Cill Easpuig Sanctan" (AFM). Sanctan is probably the same as he of Cill-da-leis (Arklow deanery) [WI035-038001-] of whom Colgan says: "Sanctan, a bishop, by birth a Briton, is honoured on the 9th May in the church of Killdaleas [De Leys or An Teampall Loiscthe /Templelusk/Church of the Two Forts] in Leinster, according to the Martyrology of Tallaght and the Festologies of Oengus and Marianus: Samuel, a King of Britain, was his father, and Drechura, daughter of Muiredac Muinderg, King of Ulster, was his mother". His feast day is 9th May. The church of Mo Sanctan was granted in 1192 to St. Patrick's [DU018-020269-]. St. Anne's, Bohernabreena, is a misinterpretation of Sanctan’. Church ruins described by O'Hanlon (1875-1903, Vo. VI, 615) as 'the old church of Kilnasantan is now a ruin; but it measured about 18 paces in length by 5 in breadth. Early in this century were rude and broken granite crosses on the piers of its entrance, a large broken font inside the gate, and some tombs of the last century'. Poorly preserved remains of a medieval church (int. dims. 5m N-S x c. 18m E-W; wall T 1.6-0.9m) aligned NE-SW built of randomly coursed granite, apparently quarried from Corrig Mountain. A short section of the S wall (L. 3.2m; ext. H 2.65m; int. H 3m; T 0.9m) located off centre to W survives upstanding with the lower wall footings of the W (ext. L 6.75m; T 1.6m) and N (int. L 8.45m; T 0.9m) walls visible, with no traces of the E wall visible. There is a possible opening or gap (Wth 4.3m) at the E end of the N wall. Inside the gate of the graveyard immediately to the N there is a medieval font (DU025-033003-). St Ann's Well (DU025-018----) originally St Santan's Well lies 185m to the NE. Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 10 March 2023