Temple Cronan is an early
monastic site. It is thought to be a pre-12th
century temple and may have then been rebuilt in the 12th
century
and then changed again in the 15th century.
It is a small, single roomed oratory and has
two tomb shrines east of the temple.
The site was probably visited by many people who
were went
on pilgrimage during the 12th century. There
are two tomb shrines east of the
oratory. The tomb shrines are probably
contemporary with the 12th century changes to the temple and
may
have been saints that the pilgrims went to devote themselves to (Jones
2004). Temple
Cronan is decorated
with carved
Romanesque-style heads of people and animals.
“There are curious human heads done in stone projecting
from the west
gable on the outside” (O’Donovan 1997:33).
This was probably one of the changes that were made during
the 12th
century because Romanesque style sculpture seems to be a visible symbol
of the
church reform and renaissance in 12th century Ireland. There
was a door frame on the north wall that indicates the renovation made
in the 15th
century.
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There is a
holy well south of the site.
As O’Donovan
reports, “About 120 yards south and by west of this church there is a
holy well
called Tobar Chronain”( O’Donovan 1997:33).
The base of a large cross has also been found in the
northwest part of
the site.
O’Donovan notes that it is
suggested that this was the entrance or the boundary of the temple site.
“To the northwest of the Church are to be
seen the pedestal and shaft of a Cross of considerable height and it is
said
that there were others which marked the limits of the Termon of St.
Cronan” (O’Donovan
1997:33).
There is also evidence of several
buildings and a quarry north of the monastery.
The structures may be the remains of the secular buildings
of the
monastery and the quarry is probably where they found the stones to
build the
church (Jones 2004).
