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Where to Find Celtic Crosses
By Yingtian Yang
In many parts of the United Kingdom, you will see free
standing crosses in churchyards and in places where one
would not expect to find a scared symbol. These Celtic
Crosses are a symbol that combines the Latin cross of
long stem and two arms with a circle on the inside of
the stem joining the stem and the arms. The crosses are
all made of stone and have very elaborate carvings. Many
of these crosses that exist today date back to as early
as the 7th centuries when Irish missionaries began
erecting them in Ireland. In time, as Christianity
spread, the crosses also spread so that today you will
find them in England, Scotland and Wales although they
are most prevalent in Ireland.
Kildalton High Cross is the oldest surviving Celtic
cross in Scotland. It is believed to date back to 800
A.D. and has elaborate carvings in its blue stone. The
biblical scene on the front of the cross depicts the
Virgin and Child, while there are carvings of other
Bible scenes on the rest of the cross, such as David and
the lion. There are also carvings of animals. The
Kilchoman Cross stands in the churchyard of the village
of Kilchoman and dates back to about 1400 A.D.
In Cornwall, crosses show the places where missionaries
stopped and prayed.
* Halwyn Wayside Cross
* Cardingham Churchyard. This cross possibly dates back
to the 10th century. It is an excellent example of a
wheeled Celtic cross.
* Laneast. This cross dates back to the 10th century and
has the circle on the outside of the arms.
* St. Kew's Cross. This stands in the churchyard of the
St. Kew Church, but was discovered in 1924 as part of a
footbridge.
* St. Pillack's wheel-headed cross. This cross has the
carving of a strange figure on the back
A number of crosses and slabs of rock with crosses
carved into them have been found on the Isle of Man. You
can see Celtic crosses either free standing or carved on
stone at the following places:
* Kirk Andreas
* Kirk Ballaugh
* Kirk Bradden
* Kirk Lezayre
* Kirk Lonan
* Kirk Maughold
* Kirk Michael
* Kirk Onchan
St. Brynach's Cross had Celtic knotwork on both the
crown and the pillar. This variation of the cross
evolved and was most common in the 8th to the 10th
centuries. You can see this cross at Nevern Dyfed,
Wales.
In Ireland, places where you can see the Celtic cross
are:
* Monastery Clonmacnois in central Ireland
* Muiredach Cross in Monasterboice, County Louth
* Clonfert
* Faheen, County Kilkenny
* Killorglin, County Kerry
There have also been variations of these crosses. The
Trinity cross also displays some of the intricate
carvings of the Celtic cross. The first free standing
cross were also called Croes Hir, which means Long
Cross. They were craved as cross heads on a pillar and
the arms were well supported by the circle. Muiredach's
cross is one example of a cross carved with elaborate
designs of Scriptural passages and Biblical scenes. |
