Blackfriars Abbey, Waterford

Blackfriars Abbey, also known as the Priory of Saint Saviour, was founded in 1226 when the citizens of Waterford secured permission from King Henry III. This Dominican friary was built on a vacant spot under the city walls, and incorporated an older tower-possibly part of Arundel’s Castle-into its bell tower. Visitors can still admire the chancel and the belfry-standing reminders of a once complex that included cloisters, dormitory, library, and numerous other structures.

Blackfriars Abbey today is a tranquil ruin nestled behind shops in the medieval center of the city. In the 16th century, following the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, parts of the priory-namely the church and Lady Chapel-were repurposed as a courthouse, a function that lasted into the 18th century. The site then gradually fell into ruin, with its structures increasingly overtaken by urban development.

A fun and unique highlight: the abbey later earned the nickname “French Church” when Huguenot refugees were granted use of the choir in the late 17th century. Even more delightfully local-the Huguenots also brought with them a style of bread that evolved into Waterford’s beloved “Blaa”, a soft white roll now recognized as a regional delicacy and protected by the EU.