Celtic
Cross of Duleek
Duleek was an important ecclesiastical centre in the early Christian
centuries and its Cross is unusual and very interesting. It was
founded by St.Ciaran (or Kennean) who was himself baptised by St.Patrick
in 472A.D. Here he built the first stone church recorded in Ireland.
The name of the town comes from the Irish "daimh liag",
a house of stones. The centre grew and flourished for more than
700 years and aerial photographs of the town show how the ecclesiastical
boundaries still impose themselves on the street plan today.
Duleek became as important as Armagh, or Clonard or Clonmacnoise
and included hospitals, almhouses and sanctuaries. It was a resting
place for the bodies of Brian Boru and his son - in law where they
lay in state on their way to burial in Armagh in 1014 after the
battle of Clontarf: later an Augustinian priory was set up there
by the O'Kelly family. When the Norman, Hugh de Lacy built himself
a castle nearby he granted the Church of St. Ciaran to the Augustinians
of Gloucestershire in 1180. The Normans had themselves pillaged
the Priory a few years earlier.
The unusual feature of the High Cross is that one face, the East
face, is completely covered in Celtic curvilinear and geometric
designs. At the bottom on the West face there is a scene with three
figures which may be the holy family or it may be the presentation
of our Lord in the Temple. Above are two panels each with two figures
facing, one with hands clasped, one with hands raised, at the centre
is a Crucifixion scene and at the top of the cross a scene from
the story of the monastery. It seems that St.Adamnon visited the
tomb of St.Ciaran's body lay uncorrupted. He broke the rule and
touched the body and his eye was struck out. Later as he fasted
as a penance his eye was miraculously restored.
The top panel shows the restoration. On the East face there appears
to be a symbolic vine, while the centre shows a design with seven
bosses. Scholars now realise that the early Irish artists, whatever
their medium constructed everything with "meaning and exactitude"
(Hilary Richardson, 1984).
They took over, it would seem, the designs of the Celts and developed
a new symbolic language using design and the symbolism of numbers
to convey the Christian message.
Celtic
Cross of Durrow replica cross in gold or silver
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