In the village of Knocktopher there are the ruins of an old parish church of the 13th century, part of the property of the canons regular of St. Augustine. The only intact part of the church is a crenellated tower, that is square at the base and gets octagonal at the top. It is similar to the Knights Templar tower in Askeaton, and the Prior's Tower in Inistioge, so probably it is from the same period. Inside this tower is a tomb that dates from the 15th century and whose cover has a wonderful double effigy of a layman and his wife. Right behind this tomb, upright against the wall there's a nice slab decorated with lozenges along the vertical edges, a cross and a spiral. The tower of this ruined church boasts a wonderful Romanesque doorway. The ruinous remains of the convent on the same grounds have some interesting grave slabs. The first time we came here was June 4th, 2001, and we always wanted to be back since.
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