Cross-slab in Carrowntemple

Thirteen Early Christian slabs and a slab rough-out were found in various locations around Carrowntemple graveyard (SL044-056002-), mainly to the S and E of the church (SL044-056001-), and were described by Wallace and Timoney (1987, 43-61). Nine of the thirteen are cross-slabs, two are decorated with triskeles, one with a maze pattern and a fragment of one with an inscription. Six of these slabs are now in the NMI. The remainder, apart from one which is concealed in the graveyard, are in the care of Sligo County Council, some being on display in Sligo Museum. Replicas of twelve of them have been erected against the S wall of the old graveyard and there is a duplicate copy of one on top of the wall. The following description is based on Wallace and Timoney (ibid.) and the numbers assigned to the slabs in that publication have been retained. This is the original location of a cross-slab that is now in the care of Sligo County Council (see SL014-284004- for present location). Slab 9: a roughly triangular-shaped slab (1.01m x 0.44m; T 0.05m) with three individual crosses, arranged one above the other. The basic design consists of a simple linear cross with additional rectangular shapes used in different combinations to form the terminals in the upper two crosses and to frame the central intersection in the lower cross. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Revised by: Paul Walsh Date of revision: 10 March 2010

Dated to the Early Christian period, the cross-slab likely served a funerary or commemorative function, reflecting the spread of Christianity in the region. Such stones often featured symbolic Christian iconography and may have been associated with local monastic or burial traditions.