St Columb's House

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St Columb's House
Irish: Teach Naomh Cholumba

Meath

Type: Oratory
Location
Grid reference: SA78193683
Location: 53°43’42"N, 6°52’51"W
Village: Kells
History
Address: Church Lane
Built likely 10th century
Oratory
Information

St Columb's House (or St Columcille's House) is an early oratory in Kells, Meath.[1] It is listed today as a National Monument.

The house stands on Church Lane in Kells, immediately north-west of the site of the Abbey of Kells.[2]

History

St Columb's House is today thought to mostly date to the 10th century. It is named after Columba (Colm Cille), whose relics it may once have housed.[3]

The roof was modified at a later date.

The house was used by monks to say the Liturgy of the Hours, or possibly as a shrine church or burial place of an abbot. It once contained a large flat stone called "St Columb's Bed", possibly a grave slab. His relics were brought to Kells in 878, and moved to Skryne Church later before finally going to Downpatrick.[4]

Building

St. Columb's House is a rectangular building with a very high pointed roof. Internally there was originally a high floor five feet above the ground, but this is gone.

The loft contains three separate rooms.[3]

An underground passage connecting the house with the nearby church is mentioned by the Annals of the four Masters and a 17th-century survey.[3]

References