The Augustinian abbey of De Laude Dei at Ballyboggan is at the end of a 140 metres long path and it appears as it has been split in two separated sections. The east section, where the chancel was, is in better conditions and has a large window. The west section has two very long side walls without any other detail. Furthermore, this section is accessible only after jumping over a stone wall that looks like a boundary. The two sections are now separated because a large part of the side walls has been removed in the past.
The building is aligned southwest-northeast, with the chancel at 70°.
The abbey was built in the 12th century by Jordan Comin. In 1446, the abbey was destroyed by a fire and later rebuilt. After the suppression of the religious orders by king Henry VIII, the abbey and the surrounding land were granted to sir William Bermingham. According to the Annals of Ulster, the abbey had a wooden cross and it was an important pilgrimage shrine in the medieval times. According to the same Annals, the wooden cross and a statue of Mary were burned at Trim in 1538.
The grass in the fields around the abbey was very high on the day of our visit. Also, the wind was wild and cold and standing was quite impossible. Most of the photos have been taken with one of my shoulder leaned against a wall. These two weather conditions made the study of the place a nightmare.
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