Cross slab
Cross Slab ( German Kreuzplatte ) and Pillar stone or Pillar Cross ( German "Kreuzpfeiler" ) are names for early Christian mostly Pictish symbol stones on the British Isles , which have a cross as a dominant engraving. So-called "pillar crosses" like Neuadd Siarman's cross are a Welsh variety of Scottish cross slabs.
The Picts in Scotland preferred the geometric and flat cross slab. The round or rounded, in shape more like the menhir or Oghamstein similar pillars ( cross-carved stone ), however, is typical of Ireland.
A cross slab, probably showing Longinus stabbing a lance in the side of the crucified Christ, is from the 9th century Calf of Man and shows Byzantine influence.
Classification
In The Early Christian Monuments of Scotland (1903) J. Romilly Allen (1847-1907) and Joseph Anderson (1832-1916) divided the Pict stones into three groups.
- Class 1 - unworked stones with incised symbols. There are no crosses on either side. Class 1 stones date from the 6th to 8th centuries.
- Class 2 - stones of more or less rectangular shape (but also wheel head crosses) with a large cross and symbol (s) on one or both sides. The symbols, and motifs are in relief and the cross and its surroundings are covered with motifs. Class 2 stones date from the 8th and 9th centuries.
- Class 3 - stones do not have pictographs. The stones can be cross stones, free-standing crosses, recumbent gravestones, and shrines. They date from the 8th or 9th century. Historic Scotland describes this class as "too easy" and says, "Today this is no longer a useful category."
- Cross slabs
St Meilig's Cross, Wales
Cross Slab in Edderton , Eastern Ross, Scotland
Fragment of Rosemarkie
St. Adamnan's Isle of Man
Pillar Stone, Gallarus Oratory , County Kerry
Cross Slab top by Kirk Michael Isle of Man
The Brancepeth Fund
One of the largest collections of medieval cross slabs was found in St. Brandon's parish church in Brancepeth, southwest of Durham , England, which was destroyed by fire in 1998 . About 100 plates have been recovered since 2002. Most were found in the atrium, where they were hidden by Rector John Cosin in the 17th century to prevent their destruction by the Puritans . Such plates, along with other symbols, were smashed by the Puritans of Cromwell during and after the Civil War . Broken cross slabs in various walls were found reused in one of Estonian churches in Teesside .
Among Brancepeth's 12th and 13th century cross plates are two that appear to belong to the Norman nobleman Geoffrey Neville, founder of the Neville family, who later became the Earls of Westmorland. Many plates show a sword marking a male grave. According to Peter Ryder, the carved symbols reflect a continuity of pagan-Anglo-Saxon methods when these items were placed in the grave.
Pictish cross plates in Scotland
- Altyre House
- Cross-slab by Alyth
- Battle Stone from Mortlach
- Bressay Stone ( Shetland Islands )
- Dunfallandy Stone
- Dyce
- Eassie
- Cross-Slab by Edderton
- Farr
- Flotta Stone (also Flotta Cross) an Orkney cross slab
- Fordoun Stone
- Fowlis Wester
- Glamis 2
- Hilton of Cadboll Stone
- Meigle
- Muir of Dinnet
- Monymusk
- Papil Stone (West Burra, Shetlands)
- Riasg Buidhe
- Rodney Stone
- Rosemarkie
- St. Orlands
- St. Vigeans
- Soroby
- St. Madoes
- Woodwrae Stone
Irish stone pillars or cross stones
Northern Ireland
The earliest datable stone from Ulster comes from Kilnasaggart in County Antrim . It is dated to 700 AD based on its long inscription. Other stones include in Killadeas in County Fermanagh ; Maghera County Londonderry ; Find Turraloskin, Counties Antrim and Saul Counties Down . Examples from the 8th century are the recumbent cross stones from Movilla and Nendrum Monasteries , both in County Down and Devenish Monastery on the island in Lower Lough Erne in County Fermanagh.
Ireland
They are more common in Connacht and Munster , but especially on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry . These tombstones are usually flat stones with a cross and an inscription asking for a prayer for the person buried. They are available in large numbers and in a variety of designs. They appear from the 8th to 11th centuries. Good examples are the Cross-Slab from Tullylease and some slabs in Clonmacnoise , the grave slabs from Carrowntemple , as well as:
- Dingle Peninsula : Cloghane, Currauly, Kilcolman, Kilfountain , Kilmalkedar , Kilshannig, Kilvicadownig , Kinard, Raingiléis , Rathduff (with Oghamin script ), Reask , Temple Nacloonagh
- County Clare : Knappogue
- Dublin : Lucky Stone
Some Ogham stones are marked with so-called Chi - Rho crosses. The Chi-Rho cross is formed from the first two characters of the Greek word for " Christ ", and .
Wales
- Pembrokeshire in Wales is particularly rich in early Christian sculptural stones, some of which can be seen in the Margam Stone Museum in Port Talbot .
- Ichthus stone in the Old Church of St Padrig by Llanbadrig on Cemaes Bay , on the north Anglesey coast .
Isle of Man
A large number of pagan ( Sigurd Slab ) and Christian stones (also Cross Slabs) can be found on the Isle of Man . Below is the fragment from Thorwald's Cross Slab, which shows a man next to the central cross, holding up a cross and a book, standing in front of a fish (as a Christian symbol) and on a writhing (pagan) snake. The stone with the number Andreas 128 bears a runic inscription on the edge . The reverse shows a scene from Ragnarök . Odin with one of his ravens on his shoulder is devoured by the Fenris Wolf. In the 11th century, Olaf Liotulfson had the rune cross in Ballaugh Old Church made for his son Ulf by the rune master Gaut. Gauts-wattle ( English Gaut Interlace ) is an insular form of the Borre style , which appears around 900 AD as a ring-chain motif on cross slabs. The style takes its name from crosses made by the stonemason Gaut, who is the first Viking artist in the West whose name we know. Other stones with Christian motifs are: