The history of the Cistercian Order in Ireland -- The Foundation and Construction of the Monasteries -- The planning and layout of the monasteries -- The architecture of the churches 1142-1400 -- Holycross and the fifteenth-century revival -- Cistercian vaulting -- Cistercian Tower Building -- Cloisters and domestic buildings -- The stone sculpture of the monasteries -- Decoration and Furnishings -- The Aftermath of the dissolution.
The history of the Cistercian Order in Ireland -- The Foundation and Construction of the Monasteries -- The planning and layout of the monasteries -- The architecture of the churches 1142-1400 -- Holycross and the fifteenth-century revival -- Cistercian vaulting -- Cistercian Tower Building -- Cloisters and domestic buildings -- The stone sculpture of the monasteries -- Decoration and Furnishings -- The Aftermath of the dissolution.
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CHOICE Review
Stalley's impressive volume is the first devoted to the numerous Cistercian monasteries in Ireland, which are among the most imposing stone buildings of the Irish Middle Ages. Of the 33 founded between 1142 and 1270, extensive remains are to be found at 21. This international order founded in Burgundy brought Ireland for the first time into the mainstream of medieval architecture. Stalley treats in separate concise chapters the history of the Cistercian Order in Ireland, the histories of the major monasteries, their planning and layout, and their architecture. Following these synthetic chapters are detailed treatments of such features as vaulting techniques, towers, domestic buildings, and decoration with sculpture. Appendixes provide a catalog of the major sites with relevant bibliography. The study is well written, clearly planned, and very well illustrated with photographs of generally high quality: it will no doubt be a standard work for many years. It is informed by a thorough consideration of the Irish political situation at the time, and effectively recounts the extensive adaptations made by the Cistercians to the Irish tradition. This very fine book should be seen as a worthy supplement to Peter Fergusson's Architecture of Solitude (1984), which treats the English Cistercian buildings and also the early French developments reflected in both Irish and English buildings.-L. Nees, University of Delaware