Fowlis Wester
The symbol stone and cross slabs of Fowlis Wester are located in the village of St Bean Church, which is 500 meters north of the A85 (road) from Perth to Crieff , five kilometers east of Crieff, in Perth and Kinross , Scotland . In the center of the village there is a replica of the larger stone.
The big stone
The larger, more weathered reddish stone, is more than ten feet high, with an ornate cross on the front, the horizontal arms of which end a little outside the main plate. The reverse shows several curious Pictorial images including a man leading a cow with a bell. He leads a procession of six bearded men. At the top there is a double disc and a Z-bar. Below are two rows of riders with a monster in between. One of the lower riders seems to have a falcon on his arm. At the bottom of the table are a crescent moon, a V-staff and a figure that is interpreted as a man who is devoured by a monster.
The second stone
The second stone is a cross-slab found in the early 1930s during the restoration of the church and in excellent condition. is. He wears an ornate ring cross with a square in the center, arms that end in squares and a high ornate base. The whole cross is decorated with knot patterns and spirals . The pair of scenes in the upper area of the plate is interpreted as the biblical story of Jonas who was swallowed by a whale. The two clerics, who sit opposite each other on ornate chairs on either side of the cross shaft, show a part of the furnishings of church establishments for which there is no other evidence. They can be representations of St. Anthony and St. Paul, the first hermit. The symbol of St. Anthony's date palm is possibly indicated by the tree in the background on the left. The depiction of the robes of the two saints and the clergy on the lower depiction, which only survived on such stones, but is often no longer visible due to erosion, give a good impression here in their detailing.
Nearby
In the vicinity of the village there is a Neolithic burial mound, a Bronze Age menhir and a stone circle (cairn circle) about six meters in diameter, as well as an Iron Age hilltop settlement.
literature
- Anna Ritchie, Graham Ritchie: Scotland - An Oxford Archaeological Guide. P. 98 Oxford University Press 1998 ISBN 0-19-288002-0
Web links
Coordinates: 56 ° 23 ′ 48.5 " N , 3 ° 44 ′ 17.9" W.