Sweat House and Holy Well in Creevaghbawn.

 

 

The Sweat House and Holy Well in Creevaghbawn is located 100m East of Creevaghbawn Church. It is a well preserved rectangular building composed of well dressed mortared limestone blocks, possibly reused from another building. Access is gained via a flat-headed doorway (width 0.5m, height 1.1m) at West end of North wall. The roof is barrel-vaulted.

Sweat Houses were used to cure pleurisy and other ailments and also as an ancient ‘sauna’. A fire was lit in the house until the walls and floor became hot. The fire was then raked out and a layer of rushes was often spread on the floor to prevent your feet being burned. The person stayed in and sweated and then washed themselves in the well opposite the sweat-house.

(A more detailed description of the above sweat-house may be seen in our parish history which is due for completion this year.