IF YOU like nothing better than a good house clearance sale, a rare opportunity has come up to have a rummage around the contents of a monastery and choose from items such as incense burners, church pews and benches, candelabras and antiques.
The contents of Mount Argus monastery in Harold’s Cross will be auctioned off by Herman & Wilkinson next week, with more than 600 lots of clerical clutter on offer. “It’s all saleable stuff with lots of odds and sods, bits and pieces,” says auctioneer David Herman. The items, which will be on view Sunday and Monday include statues, candle sticks, vestment cabinets and a large glass case containing a plaster scene of the Last Supper.“We also have a lovely set of the Stations embroidered in wool.” He has noticed an upsurge of interest in in religious items he reckons will be bought by people for their homes.
Among the antiques going under the hammer are an 18th century oil painting of Mary Magdalene, a grandfather clock made by Schriber Dublin, a William IV Pembroke table and a substantial Victorian sideboard. There is also an assortment of clocks dating from Victorian times to the 1930s.
The monastery, built in 1863, has been vacated and the remaining community of 18 Passionist priests and brothers has moved to a purpose-built monastery on the grounds. Father Pat Sheridan says while they will miss living in a monastery, the running costs were “astronomical”. Not that he thinks they’re going to make a killing at the auction. “The purpose of the sale is basically to empty out the building. Nothing at the auction is considered extremely valuable,” he says.
The fate of the old monastery depends on whether developer Twinlite gets planning permission for the site. In January an Bord Pleanála refused permission to build over 200 apartments on the site which would have involved demolishing part of the monastery and refurbishing the remainder .
David Herman says one of the more unusual items in the sale is a beautifully crafted 9ft 6in grandfather clock made by a brother from Mount Argus in the 1880s. “It’s a fine thing but it’s so big the market may be limited.”
There are also practical items including bentwood chairs, armchairs, church benches, wardrobes, chests, stainless steel work tables and hospital beds.
