What is recorded here

Marianne Freya Freitag documented the Rosenallis figure after workers pulled it from the graveyard at St Mary's Church in October 1991. The weathered sandstone woman squats with splayed legs, touches her own flesh and carries a swollen abdomen that may mark pregnancy. She left the county graveyard for the National Museum of Ireland, yet she still points back to the buried bodies and changing beliefs crowded around that church.

Sheela-na-gig found at St Mary's Church, Rosenallis in October of 1991 during clean up scheme in graveyard (LA003-016009-), which has since been removed and is now housed in the National Museum of Ireland. Described by Freitag as 'Heavy looking figure carved on irregular sandstone slab (dims. H 0.51m ; Wth 0.31m) and quite weathered. Facial features discernible; short hair indicated. Heavy, round shoulders; small breasts, a few ribs. Decidedly swollen abdomen, possibly indicating pregnancy. Arms slightly bent; both hands touching oval pudenda. Squatting position, legs splayed and bent, feet turned outwards' (Freitag 2004, 140). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 17 December 2007

Dated to the 12th or 13th century, the Sheela-na-gig is likely associated with medieval Christian symbolism, often interpreted as representing fertility, the female form, or aspects of the life cycle. Such figures were sometimes linked to ecclesiastical sites and may have had a didactic or decorative function.

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