One of the most frequently asked questions, when visitors to Kylemore have come to the end of their sightseeing tour, is: "Is this still an Abbey?"
No wonder, because the monastic life of the Benedictine nuns is visible to visitors only to a very limited degree. The nuns live in the nearby Farmhouse. There, too, daily Mass and the Divine Office are celebrated.
Since the closure of Kylemore Abbey School in 2010, the former school gymnasium has lost its function.
The Benedictine Community has decided to transform this building, centrally located right next to the Visitor Centre, into a Church.
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The local community, visitors and guests will then have an opportunity to join the nuns in their daily prayer times, enriching spiritually their visit to Kylemore.
Anyone wishing to come to prayer without visiting the Abbey will be able to do so.
The new church will become the spiritual centre of Kylemore, providing new vitality to the monastic life of the nuns, as well as easy access for visitors.
From the outside, the building may still look like the old gymnasium, but the inside will be totally transformed into a place of beauty for prayer and worship. |
- The design architects are
Buchan, Kane & Foley
32, Fitzwilliam Place,
Dublin 2.
- Construction work will begin in January 2012 and the opening of the new church is scheduled for the spring of 2012.
- The cost of reconstruction and refurbishing is estimated to be in the region of €400,000.
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Current Gym Interior
Current Gym Exterior
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