Graveslab in Strade

Located in Strade Dominican friary (MA070-067001-), one of a group of five (see also MA070-067007- to MA070-067010-) displayed against the S wall of the chancel. This graveslab (L 1.9m), which is tapered or wedge-shaped with chamfered sides, was the lid of a coffin-tomb. It is nearly fully intact, missing only its lower right-hand corner, and possibly part of its lower extremity, where the edge appears raw and is not chamfered. It bears a large bottonée or foliated cross in low relief, with the top and arms of the cross terminating in trefoils. Two additional arms placed at a diagonal, angled upwards, are placed roughly centrally on the shaft of the cross, also terminating in trefoils; these are unusual features and it has been suggested that they may have been designed to represent the Christ's arms on the cross (McDermott 2009, 99). The foliated cross is a design typical of Anglo-Norman tombs; it has been found in Bannow, Co. Wexford (WX044-045007-) and Kilkenny Dominican friary (KK019-026021-) and suggests a thirteenth-century date for the grave-slab (McDermott 2009, 100). At least two of the other grave-slabs (MA070-067009-; MA070-067010-) at Strade bear a similar design. Attached image: MA070-067004-_01.JPG Compiled by: Anne-Julie Lafaye Date of upload: 29 September 2020