Kylemore Abbey
Kylemore Abbey, County Galway, Republic of Ireland
Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle.
Kylemore Castle was originally built as a private home by Mitchell Henry, a wealthy doctor from England, when he and his wife Margaret moved to Ireland. Other buildings include a Gothic cathedral and a family mausoleum containing their bodies.
The castle was sold to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1909, who resided there for several years. Due to gambling debts they were forced to sell the house and grounds to Benedictine nuns who had fled Belgium in World War I.
The nuns offered education to Catholic girls, opening an international boarding school and established a day school for girls from the locality. It is said it was a very popular place for parents to send their daughters - established as it is in a remote area - no where for the girls to get into trouble!
The school operated for almost a century but it was forced to close in June 2010. It is now a popular tourist attraction – and an extremely beautiful location to visit indeed.
Enjoy the slide show below.
Pictures include inside the castle, the little gothic church and grounds.
Pictures include inside the castle, the little gothic church and grounds.