Abbey of Bective, Co. Meath

Beranger, Gabriel (French draftsman, ca. 1729-1817, active in England and Ireland); Cooper, Austin

Abbey of Bective, Co. Meath

Date

1992

Authors

Beranger, Gabriel (French draftsman, ca. 1729-1817, active in England and Ireland)

Cooper, Austin

Publisher

National Library of Ireland

Citation

Beranger's Views of Ireland. Peter Harbison. Dublin, 1992

Description

This print gives a view of Bective Abbey, County Meath, Ireland, a 12th century Cistercian foundation. On the left is a late medieval tower at one corner of the roughly square group of buildings, while on the right is a gable belonging to a rebuilding after the abbey was dissolved at the Reformation. The inscription on the facing page of 'Antiquities of Abbeys' is as follows: "Bective founded by O Melaglin Prince of Meath in 1146-48 or 1151, for monks of the Cistercian order. It was called in Irish Sendrede or "the old Bridge" ... An arcade of pointed cinquefoil arches supported by light clustered pillars, decorated with elegantly carved capitals, separates the cloister from the courtyard or quadrangle, on the southern side ...". This print was based on a drawing by Beranger and was printed by Austin Cooper.