St Saviour's Priory

National Monument in state ownership No. 134. Situated about half a mile SE of the cathedral, on the south bank of the river, this Romanesque church is one of the latest at Glendalough. Said to have been founded for Augustinian Canons by St Lawrence O'Toole in 1162, it became Arroasian probably soon after 1163 (Gwynn and Hadcock 1988, 177). The buildings (now largely restored) consist of a nave (dims. 12.7m E-W; 6.35m N-S) and chancel (dims. 5.36m E-W; 3.56m N-S) with possible domestic building (c. 12.2m E-W; c. 5.8m N-S) attached to the N side of the nave. The chancel arch (of three orders) and the two-light E window have Romanesque ornament, including human and animal figures. The E wall has two aumbries one at each side of the window opening, and there are a number of small cupboards in the chancel. The nave has two doors and two windows in the S wall and one door in the N wall. The chancel was originally barrel-vaulted. A mural stairs rises southwards in the east wall of the attached building and led to an upper floor. (Leask 1950, 33-6; Barrow 1992, 43-8)