St. Francis Abbey

St. Francis Abbey

Mainistir Phroinsias
Location within Ireland
Monastery information
Other names	The Abbey Church of Saint Francis, Kilkenny Grey Friary
Order	Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans)
Established	1231–34
Disestablished	1829
Diocese	Ossory
People
Founder(s)	Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke
Architecture
Status	Inactive
Style	Norman
Site
Location	Parliament Street, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny
Coordinates	52°39′21″N 7°15′12″W / 52.655926°N 7.253431°W / 52.655926; -7.253431
Public access	no
National Monument of Ireland
Official name	St. Francis Abbey
Reference no.	72

St. Francis Abbey, also called Kilkenny Grey Friary, is a medieval Franciscan abbey and National Monument located in Kilkenny City, Ireland.

St. Francis Abbey is located in the northeast of Kilkenny's historic Hightown district, behind Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny, immediately south of the point where the Breagagh River enters the Nore.

The Order of Friars Minor was founded by Francis of Assisi in 1209; they came to Ireland around 1226, and St Francis Abbey was founded in Kilkenny as a small rectangular chapel between 1231 and April 1234 by Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke. In 1245, it received a royal grant for clothing. It expanded, reaching out to the banks of the Nore and holding provincial chapters of the Franciscans in 1267 and 1308.

During the Dissolution of the Monasteries the abbey was granted to Walter Archer. In 1550, the friars were expelled by John Bale, Bishop of Ossory under King Edward VI. When Mary became Queen in 1553 they returned, only to be expelled again when her half-sister Elizabeth gained the throne in 1559.

When James I became King, worship returned to the abbey. In 1606, a chalice was presented to St. Francis Abbey by the Archer family. It continued to be repaired and restored, but numbers dwindled over the centuries. In 1766, there were only two friars left, with a few others working as parish clergy. The last friar died in 1829.