Ardtole Church
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Ardtole Church (Template:Irish derived place name; Ulster Scots: Ardtole Kirk)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is a 15th-century ruined church standing on a hilltop overlooking the Irish Sea and the Isle of Man, 0.75 miles (1.2 km) north-east of the town of Ardglass in County Down, Northern Ireland, at grid ref: J564382.<ref name="DOE">Template:Cite book</ref> It was formerly the parish church of Ardglass and is dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="DOE"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
History
This location was probably a pre-Christian sacred site.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The present ruins date to the 15th century, it has been in ruins since at least 1657 when it was described as "only old walls".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The church and graveyard are set in a very prominent position at the North end of a ridge. The graveyard is a substantial earthwork, now rectangular in plan, 52m E-W x 42m N-S. The East gable of the church stands to the original height, while the West gable is reduced to foundations. A cross slab of Early Christian type from the site is now built into the gable of the porch of the Catholic church in Chapeltown nearby <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The site also contains a stone-built souterrain.<ref>NISMR database - SMR Number DOW 045:018 - Souterrain, Ardglass</ref>
Architecture
Ardtole Church is a roofless medieval church located northeast of Ardglass in County Down, Northern Ireland. According to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the church measures approximately 19 metres by 7 metres. It is constructed of local stone with thick walls and contains architectural elements such as lancet window remnants and a pointed-arch east window, consistent with late medieval Gothic design.<ref name="NDGUK">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>