Margaret Arthur facts for kids

Margaret (Xavieria) Arthur (1674 – 1743) was an Irish abbess. An abbess is like a leader for a group of nuns. She led the Benedictine convent of Irish nuns in a place called Ypres from 1723 to 1743. Today, this same group of nuns lives at Kylemore Abbey in Ireland.

Early Life and Family

Margaret Arthur was born in Ireland in 1674. Her parents were Margaret Macnamara and Francis Arthur. Her family came from areas in Ireland known as Limerick and Clare.

Margaret had two sisters, named Margaret and Clare. Both of her sisters grew up and got married. Her parents later left Ireland and became exiles. Her father died in Paris, France. Her mother became a nun in a city called Ghent.

Joining the Convent

By the year 1695, Margaret was living in Ypres. Ypres is a city in what is now Belgium. There, she decided to become a novice nun. A novice is someone who is learning to be a nun. Three other women also joined at the same time.

The Irish abbey in Ypres was a very small group of nuns. It was led by Mary Joseph Butler. She had brought the community back from Ireland. The four new novices helped the group grow. Also, money from Queen Mary of Modena, the King of France, and Pope Innocent XII made the community strong and safe.

Becoming a Nun and Leader

Margaret Arthur and another novice, Dame Josephs O'Connor, took their vows in December 1700. Taking vows means they made their promises to become full nuns. The abbess did not accept the other two novices. She felt they were not serious about becoming nuns.

When Margaret took her vows, she chose a new name: Xavieria. In 1703, she was chosen to be the prioress. A prioress is a nun who helps the abbess lead the convent.

Leading the Convent as Abbess

Mary Joseph Butler, the abbess, passed away on December 22, 1723. Margaret Arthur then became the new abbess. She led the convent for many years.

Margaret Arthur remained a Jacobite. This means she supported the old royal family of England, Scotland, and Ireland. She even wrote a letter to the "Old Pretender." He was the son of the last Catholic king of England.

Later Years and Legacy

Abbess Margaret Arthur died in Ypres in 1743. After her death, Dame M. Magdalen Mandeville became the new abbess.

The convent in Ypres faced many challenges over the years. It even survived the French Revolution. However, in 1920, the nuns left Ypres. They moved back to Ireland and settled at Kylemore Abbey. In 2020, the community celebrated 100 years of being at Kylemore Abbey.

The Irish Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Grace, in Ypres, Flanders.