Arthur's Cross

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Arthur's Cross at its current location
Arthur's Cross near Arthurlie House in 1910

Arthur's Cross , also Arthurlie Cross or Arthurlee Cross , is a stone Celtic cross in the Scottish town of Barrhead in East Renfrewshire . It's at a crossroads in a residential area in the Arthurlie neighborhood . Since 1974 the cross, of which only the shaft has been preserved, has been classified as a Scheduled Monument .

history

It is not known when the cross was made. Arthur's Cross is similar in its design to the important crosses in the Govan Old Parish Church in Glasgow (see Govan's Sculpture Stones ), which were created in the early medieval kingdom of Strathclyde , which comprised parts of today's counties Dunbartonshire , Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire . It is therefore assumed that it was manufactured in the 11th century, or the 10th century at the earliest. It is known that the current location is not the original as only two movements are known. It is known from 1795 that the cross shaft served as a bridge over a small stream between fields. It was then placed on the grounds of Villa Arthurlie House around 1870 . Arthur's Cross was only moved from there to its current location around 1942 and received a sandstone substructure. Its presumed original location is on a hill in the valley of the Levern , through which an important road to Irvine led. Arthur's Cross could have represented a prominent object along the road, perhaps even a landmark. It is one of the least scientifically examined early Christian monuments in the region.

description

Arthur's Cross, made of sandstone , is still preserved today up to a height of 2.20 m, with the head broken off. It is around 50 cm wide and 20 cm deep. All four side surfaces are decorated with decorations. They mainly show weave patterns and cross symbols, but also two dog-like creatures on one of the side surfaces. They are heavily worn on the rear surface, as this side formed the surface of the bridge. Since the ornaments are only slightly raised, it is assumed that the cross was once painted in color.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b Entry on Arthur's Cross  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)

Web links

Coordinates: 55 ° 47 '48.6 "  N , 4 ° 23' 40.8"  W.