Cross-slab in Athlone

Early Christian cross-slab (dims. H 0.37m, Wth 0.72m, T 0.1m) discovered in 1979, one of four cross-slabs (WM029-042043-;044-;045-) originally found in the graveyard (WM029-042092-) of the Franciscan friary (WM029-042001-) (Fanning and Ó hÉailidhe 1980, 9). Now on display in Athlone Castle Museum (WM029-042045-). Sandstone cross-inscribed slab that is broken into two parts. The upper half survives in Athlone and the lower left corner is in the National Museum of Ireland. Highly decorated ringed cross in false relief. The cross has a square panel at the centre filled with interlace and rectangular terminals at the end of lozenge-shaped arms. The arms and terminals are also decorated with interlace and spiral motifs. The ring is ornamented with pelta designs. Outside the ring are the winged lion of St. Mark and the winged calf of St. Luke each of which hold a book. Above the symbols of the evangelists are the pocked letters OR DO. The fragment in the National Museum of Ireland depicts a winged figure, presumably St. Matthew, and bears the incised letters MUIR M below (Bradley et. al. 1985, 46; Fanning and Ó hÉailidhe 1980, 9). Compiled by: Rachel Barrett and Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 31 October 2013

Early Christian cross-slab, likely 8th to 10th century AD, associated with the Franciscan friary and possibly used as a gravemarker or liturgical object. Its carved cross may reflect Christian symbolism and the spread of Christianity in the region during the medieval period.