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Cross-inscribed stone in Inishcaltra OR Holy Island

Cross-inscribed stone

What is recorded here

In the church area of Inis Cealtra, a small irregular stone fragment bears a single-line cross with a two-circle wheel, marking the site as a place where sacred geometry was cut into rock. The fragment is gone from its original setting, yet the carving remains recorded. It suggests a community that believed even a broken stone could hold the shape of the divine.
Found during excavations in the St. Michael’s church (CL029-009003-) (Area IV) area of Inis Cealtra and numbered (E180: 1139). Drawn and photographed by de Paor (1997, fig. 67, pl. 54). An irregularly shaped fragment (L c. 0.3m; Wth c. 0.25m) on which is carved a single line cross with a wheel comprising two well-spaced circles. The present location of this stone is unknown. Compiled by: Mary Tunney Date of upload: 17 November 2015
This cross-inscribed stone likely dates to the Early Christian period (5th–9th centuries AD) and may have had a liturgical or commemorative function, possibly associated with the monastic site of Inis Cealtra. Its cross may reflect Christian symbolism linked to the island’s long-standing ecclesiastical tradition.

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What survives
Recorded monument

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