The ruins belong to a Cistercian institution founded in 1161 by monks from Mellifont. The church is a remarkable example of Saint Benedict's preferred architecture: an amalgam of the Romanesque and the Gothic. Its buildings were damaged by Cromwell's troops and used as a barracks from the 16C until the 18C. The choir and transept (12C) are the oldest parts of the church. The influence from Burgundy, where the order was established, is evident.