Ratass Church
Ratass Church is a medieval church with ogham stone inscriptions in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. It is a National Monument.[3][4]
| Ratass Church | |
|---|---|
| Rathass Church | |
Teampall Ráth Teas | |
 Ratass Church | |
  Ratass Church | |
| 52.267007°N 9.681814°W | |
| Location | Quill Street, Tralee, County Kerry |
| Country | Ireland |
| Denomination | Catholic (pre-Reformation) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | ruined |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Years built | 10th century AD |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Width | 7.5 m (25 ft) |
| Number of floors | 1 |
| Floor area | 120 m2 (1,300 sq ft) |
| Materials | sandstone, limestone, mortar[1] |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Ardfert and Aghadoe |
| Official name | Ratass Church & Ogham Stone[2] |
| Reference no. | 57 |
Location
The church and adjacent graveyard are located on Quill Street, in the eastern suburbs of Tralee.[5]
History
It is believed that a ringfort or embanked enclosure was built here first (Rath Mhaighe Teas, "fort of the southern plain").[6] Later, a sandstone church was erected in the 10th century. It served as the episcopal seat of a diocese in Kerry from 1111 to 1117, when the seat was moved to Ardfert.[7] The west gable and part of the nave walls belong to this earlier construction; the rest of the church is later.[8]
Ogham Stone
The Ogham Stone is from much earlier. Based on its Primitive Irish grammar, the inscription is estimated to be from around AD 550–600.[9]
The stone is of fine purple sandstone (145 × 34 × 20 cm), with the inscription [A]NM SILLANN MAQ VATTILLOGG ("name of Sílán son of Fáithloga").[10] It was discovered in 1975 during a cleanup. The walls of a 19th-century burial vault had been built almost flush with it.[11]
References
- Moody, Theodore William; Martin, Francis X.; Byrne, Francis John; Cosgrove, Art (23 August 1976). A New History of Ireland: Prehistoric and early Ireland. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-821737-4 – via Google Books.
- "National Monuments in State Care: Ownership & Guardianship" (PDF). Ireland: National Monuments Service. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
- "Ratass Church (Tralee, Ireland): Top Tips Before You Go (with Photos) - TripAdvisor". www.tripadvisor.ie.
- Petrie, George (23 August 2017). "The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland Anterior to the Anglo-Norman Invasion: Comprising an Essay on the Origin and Uses of the Round Towers of Ireland ..." Hodges and Smith – via Google Books.
- Smith, Charles (23 August 2017). "The Antient and Present State of the County of Kerry: Being a Natural, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Historical, and Topographical Description Thereof ..." Mercier Press – via Google Books.
- Stokes, Margaret, ed. (23 August 1875). "Notes on Irish Architecture: By Edwin, third Earl of Dunraven". Gge Bell – via Google Books.
- Monk, Michael A.; Sheehan, John (23 August 1998). Early Medieval Munster: Archaeology, History and Society. Cork University Press. ISBN 9781859181072 – via Google Books.
- "Ratass Church and Ogham Stone, Rathass Cemetery, Tralee - GoKerry". www.gokerry.ie.
- "CISP - RATAS/1". www.ucl.ac.uk.
- "Ogham in 3D - Ratass". ogham.celt.dias.ie.
- "Ratass Church and Ogham Stone, Tralee, Kerry".