Survey Data
Reg No
40910302
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Social
Original Use
Friary
In Use As
Friary
Date
1945 - 1955
Coordinates
186679, 366524
Date Recorded
12/11/2007
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Attached Franciscan chapel associated with Rossnowlagh Franciscan friary (see 40910316), built c. 1952, having double-height six-bay nave with offset bell tower/campanile (on square-plan) attached to the south-east corner of the north-east elevation, shallow chancel to the north-west, single-storey flat-roofed addition to the north-east corner, and with various single-bay single-storey additions to the north-east and south-west elevations. Shallow pitched copper-sheeted roofs with raised ashlar granite coping to the south-east gable end having metal cross finial over gable apex, and with rendered kneeler stones/skew blocks at eaves level. Copper rainwater goods. Shallow pitched copper-sheeted roof to bell tower/campanile having metal Celtic cross finial over to the north east side. Roughcast rendered walls over rock-faced granite plinth. Round-headed window openings to side elevations of nave having ashlar granite block-and-start surrounds, leaded coloured glass windows. Three round-headed window openings to side elevations of chancel (north-east and south-west) having ashlar granite block-and-start surrounds, chamfered ashlar granite sills, leaded coloured glass windows. Three graded round-headed window openings to the entrance gable (south-east), over central doorway, having ashlar granite block-and-start surrounds, chamfered ashlar granite sills, and leaded stained glass windows. Paired round-headed window openings to either side of main doorway to entrance gable (south-east) having ashlar granite block-and-start surrounds, chamfered ashlar granite sills, and leaded windows. Square headed openings to bell tower/campanile having ashlar granite block-and-start surrounds; triple square-headed openings at belfry level having ashlar granite block-and-start surrounds and louvered fittings. Weather glazing to window openings. Central square-headed doorway to the entrance gable (south east) having chamfered ashlar granite surround, and timber panelled double-doors. Gallery to interior over entrance gable (south-east), mosaic tiled floor and shallow segmental plaster ceiling, segmental-headed recesses/niches to either side of altar. Open arcade with pitched roof and round-headed arches to the south-west of church. Set back from road in extensive grounds to the north of Ballyshannon, and a short distance to the south of Belalt Strand, Rossnowlagh. Forested areas to north-west of site, gardens to the south-west.
Appraisal
This large-scale friary church retains its original form, character and fabric despite the addition of a number of flat-roofed extensions. The plain elevations are enlivened by the good quality robust ashlar limestone surrounds and the leaded and stained glass windows. The round-headed openings, the largely plain elevations, the shallow pitched roof and the offset belltower/campanile give this building a quasi Lombardic-Romanesque Revival architectural character. It forms a wing around a central courtyard to the south-west with the associated Franciscan friary (see 40910316) and the open arcade to the south-west creating a plan that is reminiscent of medieval friary complex based around a cloister. The soaring bell tower campanile dominates the skyline of Rossnowlagh and is a local landmark. This Franciscan foundation was established in 1946 when the order took over Belalt Lodge to the north-west, formerly owned by the trustees of the Shiel Hospital in nearby Ballyshannon. Building works on the new friary and church were later completed in 1952, and it was built to designs by the Dublin-based architectural firm Downes, Meehan, and Robson. The Franciscans have had links with south County Donegal since the founding of the friary outside Donegal Town in the 1470s. The Annals of the Four Masters were written by four Franciscan friars at nearby Bundrowes, and it was the tercentenary of the death of the leader of the Four Masters, Micheál Ó Cleirigh, in 1944 which prompted the return of the Franciscans to this part of the county. The site for the friary was donated by Charles Williamson to his brother and Franciscan, Brother Paschal Williamson. This building fits seamlessly into the scenic landscape to the south-east of Belalt Strand, and to the north of Ballyshannon, and forms a pair of related sites with the associated friary (see 40910316) to the south-west, and is an integral element of the built heritage of the local area.