Waterford Watercolours: Franciscan Friary or French Church

Waterford's Franciscan Friary was founded in 1240 by Sir Hugh Purcell. At the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII, the site was granted to a wealthy Waterford merchant named Patrick Walsh, who founded there an almshouse called the Holy Ghost Hospital for sixty indigent or sick men and women of the city. In 1693 the choir of the church was granted to French Protestant refugees and the Huguenot community worshipped there until the early 19th century. The church is now a ruin and contains some interesting 16th - 17th century tombs of Waterford citizens.

This painting is part of a collection of watercolours of Waterford by local artist John O'Regan, commissioned by Waterford Civic Trust and sponsored by local bodies and companies. This particular painting was sponsored by the Granville Hotel.

The watercolours were published in a diary for 1992,'93 and '94 after which they were donated to the municipal art collection of Waterford City Council.