Killursa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Killursa | |
|---|---|
Cill Fhursa | |
 | |
  Killursa | |
| 53°28′04″N 9°08′42″W / 53.467762°N 9.144907°W | |
| Location | Ower, Headford, County Galway |
| Country | Ireland |
| Denomination | Catholic (pre-Reformation) |
| History | |
| Former name | Kildaree Church[1][2] |
| Dedication | Saint Fursey |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | ruined |
| Style | Anglo-Norman |
| Years built | 12th century AD |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 22.5 m (74 ft) |
| Width | 7 m (23 ft) |
| Floor area | 160 m2 (1,700 sq ft) |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Tuam |
| Official name | Killursa |
| Reference no. | 231 |
Killursa is a medieval ruined church located in County Galway, Ireland. The name comes from the Irish ‘Cill Fhursa’, meaning “the church of Fursa”. St. Fursa was a 7th-century saint who is thought to have established a monastery on this site. The church building dates to the 12th century and was designed in the Romanesque style. It is surrounded by a large burial ground containing a combination of older and more modern graves. It is still in use today. The site is a protected national monument.
The roofless, ruined church and large burial ground are located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Headford, north of Galway city, in Ireland. The building is rectangular in layout, measuring 22.5 m (74 ft) in length and 7 m (23 ft) in width. Designed in the Romanesque style, it contains some interesting architectural details including a mullioned Late Gothic window and trabeate doorway.[3] There is a stone altar on the east end.[4]
The graveyard contains a combination of old and modern gravestones. Some of the more interesting graves include carved Celtic crosses and symbols and inscriptions in Irish and Latin. Many of the surviving gravestones date from the 18th century.[4] There is a statue of St. Fursa near the entrance to the graveyard.[5]