Old Kirk Braddan
The Old Kirk Braddan is an old hall church. She was until 1876 the parish church of Braddan near Douglas on the Isle of Man .
history
According to local tradition, the stones of the first Celtic chapel are dated to AD 400, but stone buildings from this period have so far been completely unoccupied.
The Old Kirk Braddan, built around 1777, contains a selection of the most important Celtic and Scandinavian plates and cross-slabs , Celtic crosses and grave slabs from the area, which were mainly made between 800 and 1265. In the church there are 12 of more than 150 monuments from this period, which are exhibited in six churches on the island. Over 40 are in Kirk Maughold and 12 in Kirk Michael. Between the 8th and 10th centuries, the Isle of Man was a Viking outpost . Until the 13th century it was part of the northern Jarltum of the Hebrides . For the last phase (from 1079) there are “The Chronicles of the Kings of Mann and the Isles” .
Four crosses in the Old Kirk Braddan are of Scandinavian origin. Some have rune inscriptions. Several, including the “Braddan Cross”, which is also shown on postage stamps , show Celtic cross or wheel cross designs and decorations made from special knot patterns , which are known as Gauts wickerwork . They are creations of the Nordic sculptor Gaut, one of the best stone carvers of his time (950-1040 AD). He came from the Hebrides and settled on the island. On the Gaut's cross he claims to have made all the crosses on the Isle of Man. In the meantime, apart from the two crosses that bear his name (e.g. Gaut's cross in Kirk Michael), only four or five more are ascribed to him.
The "Hrosketil's slab" was found in the Old Kirk Braddan's cemetery. On it, the name of the man to be remembered was lost, but that of the culprit remained. The inscription reads: And Hrosketil broke the trust of the man with whom he was bound by oath.
Other relics of the old church and its predecessors, which have been known since the 12th century, are the modeled ornamental crosses on the eastern gable, two lintels on the tower with Norman moldings (dated 1714). There is a sundial on the south wall. Since 1876 it has only rarely been used for church services.
The "Friends of Old Kirk Braddan" are an organization founded in 1982. Your goals are the preservation and restoration of the Old Kirk Braddan.
List of monuments
- Rectangular Slab (No. 63)
- Cross Patee (No. 64)
- Cross Slab (No. 65)
- Wheelheaded Cross Slab (no.72)
- Wheelheaded Cross (No. 78)
- Thorstein's Cross (No. 112)
- Thorleif's Cross (No. 135)
- Odd's Cross (no.136)
- Cross (No. 138) fragment
- Small Cross (No. 146) fragment
as well as two fragments without No.
literature
- Philipp Moore Kermode et al .: Manx Crosses - The inscribed and sculptured monuments of the Isle of Man from about the end of the fifth to the beginning of the thirteenth century. Republished in 1907 by K. Forsyth in 1996
swell
- ↑ The inscription reads: Mail, Brikti, sunr, Athakans, smith, raisti, krus, thano, fur, salu, sina, sin, bru kuln, Kaut, kirthi, thano, auk ala, I maun. In English: Mael Bridge son of Athankan the smith erected this cross for his own soul (and that of) his brother's wife. Gaut made this and all in Man.
Web links
Friends of the Old Kirk Braddan
Features of the Old Kirk Braddan
Coordinates: 54 ° 9 ′ 41 ″ N , 4 ° 30 ′ 24.9 ″ W.