Moone High Cross

Last updated

Moone High Cross
Native name
Irish: Ardchros Maoin
Moone-02-Hochkreuz-Reisegruppe-1989-gje.jpg
The high cross in 1989
Type High cross
LocationAbbey of Moone (ruined), Moone,
County Kildare, Ireland
Coordinates 52°58′45″N6°49′31″W / 52.9793°N 6.8252°W / 52.9793; -6.8252
Height5.3 metres (17 ft) [1]
Built8th century AD [1]
Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Moone High Cross in Ireland
Official nameMoone High Cross

Moone High Cross (Irish : Ardchros Maoin) is a high cross and national monument reputedly dating from the eighth century located in Moone, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland. [1] At 17.5 feet high (including the base) it is the second tallest high cross in Ireland, and also one of the best preserved of its kind. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Moone High Cross is located within the ruins of the early monastic site of Moone Abbey, believed to have been founded by St. Palladius in the 5th century and dedicated to St Colmcille in the 6th century. [1] The abbey lies on the banks of the River Greese in the village of Moone, County Kildare. Fragments of other high crosses are also present within the grounds of the abbey. [2]

The high cross lay undiscovered until 1835, when two sections of it were unearthed whilst works were being carried out in the graveyard of the ruined abbey. [3] The then-Duke of Leinster, Charles FitzGerald, arranged for the re-erection of the cross as the sections were so well-preserved. Sixty years later, in 1893, the middle section was found and added to the cross revealing its true height. [2]

The high cross is featured on the 'Kildare Monastic Trail', a self-guided tour designed to facilitate discovery of County Kildare's round towers, high crosses and monasteries. [4] A roof exists over the cross to protect it from erosion. [5]

Description

The high cross is made of granite and was constructed in three sections; an upper, middle and base. [5] The cross is heavily decorated and depicts scenes from both the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible, including Daniel in the lions' den, the three children in the fiery furnace and the miracle of the loaves and fishes. [3] The cross was intended as a didactic tool with which to teach the illiterate native population about Christianity. This is conclusive as the iconography of the cross pertains to that of the popular form of prayer at that time, with references to both the old and new testaments. [3] Moone high cross is unusual, according to Stalley, in that the Christian scenes are located on the base. [6]

The carving is famous for its flat geometrical style, in which human bodies are rendered in simple squares or rectangles. It has been suggested that this was unavoidable, given the coarse nature of the granite, but it is more likely to be the result of copying stylised models, perhaps in metalwork. [7] The crucifixion appears on one face and, with "naïve charm", the apostles are arranged in symmetrical lines below. [8] Christ wears the long garment, or 'colobium', rather than a simple loin cloth around the waist. Three panels are devoted to 'deliverance' scenes and another depicts a miracle of Christ, a "wonderfully simplified" version of the feeding of the five thousand, with the subject reduced to five circles (for loaves), two fishes and two non-biblical eels. [8]

At Moone, the subjects are composed in a direct and recognisable way, compared to other high crosses (such as at Clonmacnoise) where there is far less certainty about the scenes being depicted. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glendalough</span> Glacial valley and monastic settlement in County Wicklow, Ireland

Glendalough is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough Valley was the site of a galena lead mine. Glendalough is also a recreational area for picnics, for walking along networks of maintained trails of varying difficulty, and also for rock climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High cross</span> Free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated

A high cross or standing cross is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors. These probably developed from earlier traditions using wood, perhaps with metalwork attachments, and earlier pagan Celtic memorial stones; the Pictish stones of Scotland may also have influenced the form. The earliest surviving examples seem to come from the territory of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, which had been converted to Christianity by Irish missionaries; it remains unclear whether the form first developed in Ireland or Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigid of Kildare</span> Irish abbess and saint (c. 451 – 525)

Saint Brigid of Kildare or Saint Brigid of Ireland is the patroness saint of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiographies, she was an abbess who founded the important abbey of Kildare, as well as several other convents of nuns. There are few historical facts about her, and her hagiographies are mainly anecdotes and miracle tales, some of which are rooted in pagan folklore. They say Brigid was the daughter of a chieftain and a slave woman, and was raised in a druid's household before becoming a consecrated virgin. She is patroness of many things, including poetry, learning, healing, protection, blacksmithing, livestock and dairy production. In her honour, a perpetual fire was kept burning at Kildare for centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kildare</span> Town in County Kildare, Ireland

Kildare is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. As of 2022, its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint Brigid of Kildare in the 5th century. The Curragh lies east of the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graiguenamanagh</span> Hamlet in County Kilkenny, Ireland

Graiguenamanagh or Graignamanagh is a town on the River Barrow in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Part of the settlement, known as Tinnahinch, is on the County Carlow side of the river, and Carlow County Council refers to the whole village as "Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch". Also combined for census purposes, as of the 2016 census, Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch had a population of 1,475 people. The town is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Augustine Gospels</span> 6th-century gospel book in England

The St Augustine Gospels is an illuminated Gospel Book which dates from the 6th century and has been in the Parker Library in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge since 1575. It was made in Italy and has been in England since fairly soon after its creation; by the 16th century it had probably already been at Canterbury for almost a thousand years. It has 265 leaves measuring about 252 x 196 mm, and is not entirely complete, in particular missing pages with miniatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangor Abbey</span> Irish monastery

Bangor Abbey was established by Saint Comgall in 558 in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland and was famous for its learning and austere rule. It is not to be confused with the slightly older abbey in Wales on the site of Bangor Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moone</span> Village in County Kildare, Ireland

Moone is a small village in the south of County Kildare, Ireland. It is on the former N9 road about 80 km (50 mi) south of Dublin. It has only a few hundred inhabitants, a church, a national school, one shop and a small community centre. There is also pub called the Moone High Cross Inn. The village is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muiredach's High Cross</span> High cross from the 10th century

Muiredach's High Cross is a high cross from the 10th or possibly 9th century, located at the ruined monastic site of Monasterboice, in County Louth, Ireland. There are two other high crosses at Monasterboice; in local terms Muiredach's cross is also known as the South Cross. Muiredach's cross is the most impressive surviving example of early medieval Irish stonework, and the crosses at Monasterboice have been said to be Ireland's greatest contribution to European sculpture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castledermot</span> Village in County Kildare, Ireland

Castledermot is an inland town in the south-east of Ireland in County Kildare, about 75 km (47 mi) from Dublin, and 10 km (6.2 mi) from the town of Carlow. The N9 road from Dublin to Waterford previously passed through the village but upon completion of a motorway bypass in 2010, it was re-designated the R448. The town is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feeding the multitude</span> Miracles carried out by Jesus according to the Bible

In Christianity, feeding the multitude comprises two separate miracles of Jesus, reported in the Gospels, in which Jesus used modest resources to feed thousands of followers who had gathered to see him heal the sick.

Events from the year 1835 in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Churches of Göreme</span> Archaeological sites in Turkey

Göreme is a district of the Nevşehir Province in Turkey. After the eruption of Mount Erciyes about 2.6 million years ago, ash and lava formed soft rocks in the Cappadocia region, covering a region of about 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi). The softer rock was eroded by wind and water, leaving the hard cap rock on top of pillars, forming the present-day fairy chimneys. People of Göreme, at the heart of the Cappadocia region, realized that these soft rocks could be easily carved out to form houses, churches, and monasteries. These Christian sanctuaries contain many examples of Byzantine art from the post-iconoclastic period. These frescos are a unique artistic achievement from this period.

<i>Ardboe High Cross</i> High cross and national monument

Ardboe High Cross is a high cross and national monument dating from the tenth century located in Ardboe, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timolin</span> Village in County Kildare, Ireland

Timolin is a village in the south of County Kildare, Ireland. It is located off the R448 road, the former N9 road about 80 km (50 mi) south of Dublin. It is a small village, with less than a hundred inhabitants, one shop and two pubs. It is located close to the Moone High Cross Inn. The closest village to Timolin is Moone, less than 1 kilometre to the south. The village is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clones Abbey</span> Historic site in County Monaghan, Ireland

Clones Abbey is a ruined monastery that later became an Augustinian abbey in the twelfth century, and its main sights are ecclesiastical. The Abbey was formerly known as St. Tighernach Abbey, and was referred to locally as the "wee abbey". Parochial and monastic settlements were separated, and it seems likely that the building became the Abbey of St. Peter and Paul. In the Book of Armagh and Annals of Ulster the word Clones is referenced as "Clauin Auis" and "Cluain Auiss," respectively. As there is no word in standard dictionaries of Old Irish that give the form "auis" or "eois", Seosamh Ó Dufaigh has speculated that the word is a cognate of the Welsh word for point or a tip: "awch". Although, Bearnard O'Dubhthaigh disputes this theory on the grounds that the earlier form of "awch" is "afwch". Folklore suggests that the monastic town was originally called "Cluin Innish" on account of it being surrounded by water.

Clonca Church & Cross, is a historic monument located in Inishowen, County Donegal. It is one of the most important and popular historical sites in Inishowen. At 54°43′05″N it is the northernmost of Ireland's National Monuments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castledermot Round Tower</span>

Castledermot Round Tower is a 10th-century round tower in Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland. The tower, and the high crosses nearby, are a National Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magdeburg Ivories</span> Set of 17 ivory panels illustrating episodes of Christs life

The Magdeburg Ivories are a set of 16 surviving ivory panels illustrating episodes of Christ's life. They were commissioned by Emperor Otto I, probably to mark the dedication of Magdeburg Cathedral, and the raising of the Magdeburg see to an archbishopric in 968. The panels were initially part of an unknown object in the cathedral that has been variously conjectured to be an antependium or altar front, a throne, door, pulpit, or an ambon; traditionally this conjectural object, and therefore the ivories as a group, has been called the Magdeburg Antependium. This object is believed to have been dismantled or destroyed in the 1000s, perhaps after a fire in 1049.

Drumcliff Monastery was located in Cairbre Drom Cliabh, now County Sligo, five miles north of the modern town of Sligo. The site consists of the remains of a round tower and several high crosses, including one outstanding example. It is currently also the site of a Church of Ireland parish church and a graveyard. It is the burial place of the poet William Butler Yeats. Founded in the 6th century by Saint Colmcille, he is said to have declared in a later literary fragment:

Beloved to my heart also in the West— Drumcliffe at Culcinne's strand.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Moone High Cross". kildareheritage.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Irish High Crosses. Moone". megalithicireland.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Moone High Cross". kildare.ie.
  4. "Kildare Monastic Trail Audio Guide". abartaheritage.ie.
  5. 1 2 "Moone High Cross". discoverireland.ie.
  6. Stalley 1996, p. 34.
  7. Stalley 1996, p. 35.
  8. 1 2 3 Stalley 1996, p. 36.

Sources