Sleaty Church is a medieval church and National Monument of Ireland, located in County Laois.
This Church is located about 2.5 km north of Carlow town, on the west bank of the River Barrow.
St. Fiacc`s first monastery was on the other side of the River Barrow, but after 60 of his monks had died he moved to this site. One of the most famous abbots of the monastery was Aodh (bishop Áed of Sletty) who lived in the 7th century and who was one of the first biographers of St. Patrick. Sletty was a historic residence of the King of Leinster. The last historical reference to the monastery of Sletty is from 1055, after which the site lost importance. Two undecorated granite crosses belong to the Early Christian period but the Church is medieval.
Sleaty Church is largely ruined. The only features of the church left are a broken window in the east of the south gable and a semi-pointed doorway to the west. Also, there is the holy well, octagonal baptismal font, and a possible souterrain. The graveyard contains headstones in varying conditions, many overgrown, leaning, and badly worn, all legible graves post-date 1700.
Location of Sleaty Church:
