Religious house

Located to the WNW of St. Brigid’s Cathedral (KD022-029005-) in a graveyard (KD022-029061-). The Carmelite Priory of St Mary, founded by William de Vesci in 1290. In 1539 it consisted of a church, belfry, dormitory, hall, and two chambers. All the buildings except the church and messuage were burned in 1540 (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 290). According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 3, 243-6), a late-18th century drawing by Cooper shows a roofless, single-aisled church, with two small traceried roundels above in the E wall, six pointed lancets and a flat lintelled doorway towards the W in the S wall (JKAS 1971-6, 436, 490). There are no visible remains of the priory, but it is indicated on Rocque’s 1757 map immediately S of the modern Carmelite church. Late medieval limestone panels (KD022-029062-, KD022-029063-, KD022-029064-, KD022-029065- and KD022-029066-) set in the N transept wall of the modern church may have originated in the earlier church. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 23 January 2012

The Carmelite Priory of St Mary in Kildare was founded by William de Vesci in 1290 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was a significant religious institution in the medieval period, comprising a church, belfry, dormitory, and hall, and was located near St. Brigid’s Cathedral.