Muiredach cross
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The Muiredach Cross ( Irish Cros Mhuireadaigh ) is a Celtic cross in the former Monasterboice Abbey in County Louth in Ireland . It is about 5.8 meters high and probably originated in the 9th century. The cross contains numerous biblical scenes on all surfaces and is considered the most impressive known testimony of early Irish stone carving.
The cross was erected by a Muiredach, as an old Irish inscription on the west side reveals: OR (= OROIT) DO MUIREDACH LAS NDERNAD I (= IN) CHROS (SA) ("a prayer for Muiredach, from whom the cross was made") . It is believed that this is Muiredach mac Domhnall, one of the monastery's most revered abbots. Muiredach died 922/23, so that the period from 900–923 is assumed to be the time of origin.
description
On the east side are Saints Anthony and Paul of Thebes , the Apocalypse (?), The Last Judgment , Archangel Michael with Satan, Adoration of the Three Kings , Moses striking water from the rock, David and Goliath , Adam and Eve with Cain and Abel depicted. On the west side, Moses and Aaron on Mount Sinai , the crucifixion of Christ , his ascension , the unbelieving apostle Thomas and Christ in Gethsemane are depicted.
Web links
- Detail of Muiredach's Cross , by Mary Sullivan formerly of Bluffton University
- Detail of Muiredach's Cross , hosted by the 'Celtic Art and Cultures Web Site' of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Coordinates: 53 ° 46 ′ 39 ″ N , 6 ° 25 ′ 3 ″ W.