Drúmlaen Abbey
Drúmlaen Abbey (/dɹuːm ˈleɪn/), formally named the Abbey of Saent Maedóc at Drúmlaen, is a Maedócín monastery located near the village of Dúmlaen in the Cingdom of Braefení. It is maintained by a community of Caetlic clerics, led by an abbot, in accordance with the Rule of Saent Maedóc.
Considered one of the Great Abbeys of Olengael, it was founded in 594 by the esteemed Saent Maedóc, and is counted among the oldest continuously occupied Caetlic sites in all of Olengael. The current Abbot of Drúmlaen is Garuán macDubín deFaercilah.
Saent Colum built a small church there in 555, from which he preached the Gospel for several years before leaving to found his celebrated monastery and college at Aene. Saent Maedóc’s long-childless parents prayed with Saent Colum at Drúmlaen, that they might one day have an heir, establishing their blessed son’s connection with the place even before he was born.
Upon the death of Saent Maedóc, his disciple, Urcaen macAelill, whom the saent had renamed Faercilah for his personal devotion and religious zeal, became his Coaerb, or heir, and Aerenah of Drúmlaen. Since that time, Urcaen’s descendants, known as Clonn Faercilah, have served in an unbroken line as hereditary abbots of the monastic community there.
A strong low wall surrounds the abbey, its entrance protected by iron doors, with a devotional chapel just inside for visitors to make oblations of thanks upon their safe arrival. The abbey church, dormitory and refectory dominate the interior cloistered courtyard, and the library and scriptorium withal. The enclosure also contains a kitchen, infirmary, and a small guest house, as well as workshops, granaries, and several storehouses.
Apart from the other buildings, some thirty paces away, stands a stout and lofty round tower, with an elevated entrance attainable by means of a wooden ladder, which can be pulled up from inside when the necessity arises. Utilized for the safekeeping of the abbey’s most precious relics and manuscripts, and as a place of refuge in times of danger or attack, the round tower is connected to the main structure of the abbey by means of a secret subterranean tunnel, known to but a few senior members of the Order.
The abbey is surrounded by gently rolling pastures and fields, abundant with oats and barley, and thick with the abbey’s cattle, which have for centurís borne witness to the untiring labors of the pious monks who have lived, prayed, worked, and died within the abbey walls. The termon lands under control of Clonn Faerlah and the monastery encompass over three cantreds, providing substantial revenue in rents and levies.
In addition to their religious duties and silent labor in the scriptorium, the Maedócín brothers also operate a dairy, producing milk for the abbey, as well as high quality butter and cheese which they sell at the market in Drúmlaen town. The Maedócín butter of Drúmlaen is said to be the sweetest butter in all of Olengael, highly sought after and fetching a high price on market day.
Considered one of the Great Abbeys of Olengael, it was founded in 594 by the esteemed Saent Maedóc, and is counted among the oldest continuously occupied Caetlic sites in all of Olengael. The current Abbot of Drúmlaen is Garuán macDubín deFaercilah.
Etymology
The monastery’s placename is derived from Middle Gaelish druim + laehan, from Old Gaelish droim + laethan, meaning “broad hill or ridge,” so-called for the long low hill that rises to the northwest of the site.Establishment
Drúmlaen has been recognized as a sacred place since long before Saent Maedóc founded his abbey there. The glorious Saent Pádraeg himself, while traversing the wilds of Braefení in the early fifth centurí, is said to have blessed the site when he heard the songs of angels in the air as he crested the low rise that overlooks its green fields. It was he who named the district Druimlaehan for the hill, the area’s most prominent natural feature.Saent Colum built a small church there in 555, from which he preached the Gospel for several years before leaving to found his celebrated monastery and college at Aene. Saent Maedóc’s long-childless parents prayed with Saent Colum at Drúmlaen, that they might one day have an heir, establishing their blessed son’s connection with the place even before he was born.
Stained Glass Window of Saent Maedóc
Drúmlaen Abbey Church
Drúmlaen Abbey Church
In 594, Saent Maedóc, along with eight of his disciples, came to Drúmlaen and built a church and abbey there, the first of several the Great Saent of the North would establish in his lifetime. Soon many young men came to study under the famous cleric, and the monastic complex was expanded to include a dormatory, library and scriptorium. Maedóc composed the Rule that bears his name, and established it upon his student followers, becoming their first abbot, a position he held until his death in 632.
Upon the death of Saent Maedóc, his disciple, Urcaen macAelill, whom the saent had renamed Faercilah for his personal devotion and religious zeal, became his Coaerb, or heir, and Aerenah of Drúmlaen. Since that time, Urcaen’s descendants, known as Clonn Faercilah, have served in an unbroken line as hereditary abbots of the monastic community there.
Description
The abbey is pleasantly situated in picturesque surroundings overlooking the silver waters of Laec Aela, the largest of a chain of small laecs and ponds in the area. Swans and whooping cranes abound in the peaceful laecside setting, which affords breathtaking views of the verdant countryside in all directions. The nearby town of Drúmlaen is a bustling settlement of over 450 souls, featuring a market, a mill and a forge, with about a dozen of the cing’s men-at-arms garrisoned in the small barracks there.A strong low wall surrounds the abbey, its entrance protected by iron doors, with a devotional chapel just inside for visitors to make oblations of thanks upon their safe arrival. The abbey church, dormitory and refectory dominate the interior cloistered courtyard, and the library and scriptorium withal. The enclosure also contains a kitchen, infirmary, and a small guest house, as well as workshops, granaries, and several storehouses.
Apart from the other buildings, some thirty paces away, stands a stout and lofty round tower, with an elevated entrance attainable by means of a wooden ladder, which can be pulled up from inside when the necessity arises. Utilized for the safekeeping of the abbey’s most precious relics and manuscripts, and as a place of refuge in times of danger or attack, the round tower is connected to the main structure of the abbey by means of a secret subterranean tunnel, known to but a few senior members of the Order.
The abbey is surrounded by gently rolling pastures and fields, abundant with oats and barley, and thick with the abbey’s cattle, which have for centurís borne witness to the untiring labors of the pious monks who have lived, prayed, worked, and died within the abbey walls. The termon lands under control of Clonn Faerlah and the monastery encompass over three cantreds, providing substantial revenue in rents and levies.
In addition to their religious duties and silent labor in the scriptorium, the Maedócín brothers also operate a dairy, producing milk for the abbey, as well as high quality butter and cheese which they sell at the market in Drúmlaen town. The Maedócín butter of Drúmlaen is said to be the sweetest butter in all of Olengael, highly sought after and fetching a high price on market day.
Drúmlaen Abbey
MONASTERY
Drúmlaen Abbey
ABBEY INFORMATION
Order:
Maedócín
Established:
594 A.D.
Founder:
Saent Maedóc
Diocese:
Diocese of Cillemór
Round Tower - Drúmlaen Abbey
List of Abbots of Drúmlaen
Saent Maedóc
(594 – 632)
Urcaen macAelill (Faercilah)
(632 – 659)
Maelcárain macFaercilah
(659 – 671)
Cúdúlig macMaelcárain deFaercilah
(671 – c.695)
Records burned in the sacking of Drúmlaen by the Lochlainn - 936 A.D.
Caennec deFaercilah
(c.908 – 932)
Saegdán macCaennec deFaercilah
(932 – 936)
Cóem macSaegdán deFaercilah
(936 – 949)
Gallcóbán macCóem deFaercilah
(949 – 970)
Caennec macGallcóbán deFaercilah
(970 – 983)
Lónán macCaennec deFaercilah
(983 – 998)
Iarlaeth macLónán deFaercilah
(998 – 1026)
Maelbrígán macIarlaeth deFaercilah
(1026 – 1052)
Conbár macMaelbrígán deFaercilah
(1052 – 1065)
Conaeg macConbár deFaercilah
(1065 – 1098)
Dubín macConaeg deFaercilah
(1098 – 1125)
Garuán macDubín deFaercilah
(1125 – present)
(594 – 632)
Urcaen macAelill (Faercilah)
(632 – 659)
Maelcárain macFaercilah
(659 – 671)
Cúdúlig macMaelcárain deFaercilah
(671 – c.695)
Records burned in the sacking of Drúmlaen by the Lochlainn - 936 A.D.
Caennec deFaercilah
(c.908 – 932)
Saegdán macCaennec deFaercilah
(932 – 936)
Cóem macSaegdán deFaercilah
(936 – 949)
Gallcóbán macCóem deFaercilah
(949 – 970)
Caennec macGallcóbán deFaercilah
(970 – 983)
Lónán macCaennec deFaercilah
(983 – 998)
Iarlaeth macLónán deFaercilah
(998 – 1026)
Maelbrígán macIarlaeth deFaercilah
(1026 – 1052)
Conbár macMaelbrígán deFaercilah
(1052 – 1065)
Conaeg macConbár deFaercilah
(1065 – 1098)
Dubín macConaeg deFaercilah
(1098 – 1125)
Garuán macDubín deFaercilah
(1125 – present)
…
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