Gothic Church at Kylemore Abbey Connemara

This very beautiful Gothic Church was built by Mitchell Henry in the memory of his beloved wife Margaret Henry who died only fours years after the castle was constucted. The Church was designed by Architect James Franklin Fuller who also designed the famous Ashford Castle in Cong, Co.Mayo. Work began on the church in 1877 but it was not completed until 1881.

The Church was designed to be a ‘cathedral in miniature’ and the interior is said to have been suggested by the beautiful Chapel of St Stephen’s at Westminster. The grey exterior is contrasted by the highly decorative cream caen sandstone interior. Set against the cream sandstone are marble pillars from the different provinces of Ireland; the green marble of Connemara (Connaught), the red marble of Cork (Munster), the black marble of Kilkenny (Leinster) and the grey marble from Ulster.

Incorporated in the south transept is a beautiful stained glass tracery window with images depicting Fortitude, Faith, Charity, Hope and Chastity. At the front of the Altar, there was a trap door through which coffins could be lowered to the vaults below. However, it is said that Mitchell Henry could not bear to place his beloved wife beneath the ground so she was laid to rest in the mausoleum further along the avenue. Three of the Benedictine Community were buried in the vaults before the door was sealed closed.

Over the years, erosion caused by excess dampness, left the Church in poor condition. In 1991, the nuns began restoring the building. The European Regional Development Fund, together with bank loans and donations from benefactors and friends, financed the restoration work. President Mary Robinson re-opened the restored Church on 28th April 1995.

The restoration work received the prestigious AIB Better Ireland Heritage Award in 1998.

Visitors can experience some of the breath-taking landscape and serenity en-route from the Abbey to Gothic Church along the tranquil lakeshore walk.

Mausoleum

Margaret Henry died tragically while on a family holiday in Egypt, in 1874. She had fallen ill with dysentery and died within 16 days of contracting the disease. She was only 45 years old. Her remains were brought back to Kylemore and laid to rest in the Mausoleum on the grounds. When Mitchell Henry died in 1910, his ashes were brought back to Kylemore and laid to rest next to his beloved wife, Margaret, in the mausoleum in the grounds of their dream home.