Reefert Church

When Erin and I first arrived in Dublin, our first excursion took us south into the Wicklow Mountains. Not far from the city, the streets and buildings gave way to mountain roads, wooded slopes and the glacial valley of Glendalough. The name Glendalough comes from the Irish Gleann Dá Loch, meaning “valley of two lakes”, a description that captures the landscape.

Glendalough is best known for the early Christian settlement founded by St. Kevin in the sixth century. According to tradition, Kevin initially came to the valley seeking solitude, but other people were drawn to his life of prayer and a religious community gradually developed around him. Over the centuries, Glendalough became an important center of worship, education and pilgrimage. Its churches, crosses, burial grounds and round tower remain scattered throughout the valley.

The roofless stone building is Reefert Church, located near the southeastern shore of the Upper Lake. The present nave-and-chancel church is believed to date from around 1100, although the site may have held an earlier religious structure. Its Irish name, Ríogh Fhearta, is generally interpreted as “burial place of the kings”. The surrounding cemetery is traditionally associated with members of the O’Toole family, the ruling dynasty of this part of County Wicklow.

Reefert Church was part of a much larger religious landscape. Its stone walls, surrounding graves and proximity to the Upper Lake connected the church to a valley that offered both seclusion and the natural resources needed to sustain a growing community. The mountains provided protection, while the forests, water and open land supported those who lived, worshipped and studied there.

At Reefert, worship, burial, memory and the natural world remained closely connected. Beginning our time in Ireland in the Wicklow Mountains introduced Erin and me to a history found not only in Dublin’s buildings and museums, but also among the churches, cemeteries and monastic ruins scattered throughout the Irish landscape.