The Black Abbey was founded by the Dominicans in 1225 — one of the earliest Dominican establishments in Ireland — and remains an active place of worship today. The friars wore black habits over their white robes, giving the abbey its name. It survived Cromwell's assault on Kilkenny in 1650 relatively intact, though it was used variously as a courthouse, a tannery, and a dwelling before being returned to the Dominicans in the 19th century.
The interior is atmospheric and well preserved. The 14th-century tracery window on the south transept is one of the finest pieces of medieval stained glass in Ireland; the alabaster figure of the Holy Trinity on the altar is unusual and striking. The abbey is a working church, open daily and free to enter, which means it has the comfortable lived-in quality that the more heavily touristed sites sometimes lack. Take time to sit and let the building settle around you.