Bangor Abbey

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Bangor Abbey and graveyard
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Bangor Abbey and graveyard

Bangor Abbey was established by Saint Comgall in 558 in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland and was famous for its learning and austere rule. It was featured in the Mappa mundi, the first map of the world. Bangor Abbey was a centre of learning which trained missionaries in the Middle Ages.

Little remains of the original abbey after repeated attacks by the Danes, who destroyed it in 824. It was restored by Saint Malachy in the 12th century, given to the Franciscans in 1469, and to the Augustinians a century later. It was finally dissolved under James I.

The present Tower of the Abbey dates back to the 14th century.

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