Guided Tours of Holycross Abbey take place on every Sunday from March to September at 2.30pm. You can come along to the cloister area and join this tour at 2.30pm without pre-booking.
Alternatively, we can arrange tours at other dates and times throughout the year, but only when pre-booked. Bookings can be made by contacting +353-86-1665869, +353-504-43124 or by emailing holycrossabbeytours@
Holycross Abbey is open for private visit and prayer from 9am to 6pm daily.
Website: www.holycrossabbey.ie
Because the Abbey is our parish church, tour times may be rescheduled to adapt to any religious events taking place in the Abbey. We accept donations of €5 (2024 rate).
Highlights of a Tour:
• The Ormond Relic of the True Cross and another authenticated relic are on display in the north transept.
• Marvel at the beauty of the Sedilia and the Waking Bier. They are the highpoint of Cistercian art in stone in Ireland.
• Be enchanted by the folk stories of ‘The Good Woman’s Son’ and ‘The Eight Hands”.
• The chancel and the north transept have the finest rib vaulting of the period.
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An old bell, called Michael, hangs in the tower and is reputedly the oldest church bell in Ireland. It is almost 800 years old.
• Here too is the only intact medieval chapter house doorway in Ireland.
• We invite you to imagine the monks descending the original night stairs as they did centuries ago.
• The Abbey has the widest range of window patterns of any medieval building in Ireland.
• You might like to share a secret at the Whispering Arch.
• The arcading of the cloister is beautifully executed.
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The magnificent outdoor Stations of the Cross are the work of Enrico Manfrini, who also designed Pope Francis’ ring.
• There is plenty more here in stone, folklore, legend and history.
Phone: +353-86–1665869 +353-504-43124
E-mail: holycrossabbeytours@gmail.com
