Liturgy and architecture in medieval Ireland ca. 1100- ca. 1315: evidence from the Diocese of Killaloe

Abstract

This thesis examines the standing fabric of medieval churches within the diocese of Killaloe that documentary and architectural evidence indicate were in continuous or intermittent usage from the twelfth through fifteenth century. While the majority of the churches included within the study are parish churches, a wide variety of site types are included within the study group, including the cathedral church, Augustinian houses, Mendicant friaries and churches of unidentified function. The standing medieval fabric of these buildings is analysed, with a focus on building programmes, to determine the ways in which the architecture can contribute to our understanding of the evolving social role and function of churches over the course of the middle ages. [extract page 2]