What is recorded here

Cross stands north of St. Kienan’s Church in County Meath, its sandstone arms still carrying interlace, Mary’s family, and saints battling a devil. The missing cap leaves a tenon exposed, as if the cross waited for a final stone that never came. Its sharp edges and crowded symbols suggest a place where prayer, warning, and wonder were cut into rock before being forgotten.

The N cross is north of St. Kienan’s Church of Ireland church, now converted to a restaurant, and the top of its base (dims 0.5m x 0.45m) is visible. The sandstone ringed cross (dims at base 0.37m x 0.21m; H 1.82m; Wth 0.97m) has edge moulding and a tenon on top for a missing cap. The E face is devoted entirely to panels of interlace with seven bosses at the crux. The W face has the family of Mary, an angel bringing bread to the Virgin, and the parents of Mary on the shaft. The W side of the head has a Crucifixion with two soldiers, and St. Anthony and St. Paul decorate the extremities at S and N respectively. The top has SS Paul and Anthony defeating a devil. The N and S faces are all devoted to interlace, apart from the ends of the arms that have fabulous beasts. (Harbison 1992, 1, 76-8) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 14 August, 2014

A sandstone ringed high cross, likely 9th- to 10th-century in date, stands near the former site of St. Kienan’s Church, reflecting early Christian art and religious significance in the area.

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