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Kells Abbey is an Augustinian abbey situated near Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Known by several historical names including the Abbey of Kellis and Ecclesia Beatae Mariae de Desarto, the site occupied land in what was termed the Desert of Connor, a remote monastic landscape. The abbey represents a significant medieval ecclesiastical establishment of the Augustinian order, which was active in Ireland throughout the medieval period.
The abbey's location on bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, the remnants of ancient mafic lava and tuff, reflects the geological character of this part of east Antrim. This volcanic foundation underlies much of the surrounding landscape and would have presented both challenges and practical resources to the medieval religious community establishing their monastic settlement here.
Today Kells Abbey is protected as a monument of historic importance by the Historic Environment Division under reference 2642. The site remains an archaeological record of Augustinian monastic life in medieval Ulster, preserving evidence of the religious, economic and social structures that sustained abbey communities in the north of Ireland during the medieval period.
Kells abbey, de diserto forte conneri, deserto corie, templemoyle, desert of connor, abbey of kellis, ecclesia beatae mariae de desarto. augustinian abbey is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2642. View the official record →
Kells Abbey is an Augustinian abbey situated near Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2642.
Kells abbey, de diserto forte conneri, deserto corie, templemoyle, desert of connor, abbey of kellis, ecclesia beatae mariae de desarto. augustinian abbey dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a ecclesiastical site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Kells abbey, de diserto forte conneri, deserto corie, templemoyle, desert of connor, abbey of kellis, ecclesia beatae mariae de desarto. augustinian abbey is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 2642.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Mount hilly, mount wholly. counterscarp rath (4.9 km), Mound - motte? (6.3 km), Rath (6.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Kells abbey, de diserto forte conneri, deserto corie, templemoyle, desert of connor, abbey of kellis, ecclesia beatae mariae de desarto. augustinian abbey's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Kells abbey, de diserto forte conneri, deserto corie, templemoyle, desert of connor, abbey of kellis, ecclesia beatae mariae de desarto. augustinian abbey stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.