Kilkieran High Crosses are a group of

high cross A high cross or standing cross ( ga, cros ard / ardchros, gd, crois àrd / àrd-chrois, cy, croes uchel / croes eglwysig) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval traditi ...

es which form a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Location

Kilkieran High Crosses are located on the grounds of the former monastery, about south of

Ahenny Ahenny () is a small village and townland in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is notable for its ancient Irish high crosses. Close to the village is the early Christian foundation of Kilclispeen monastery and in the adjoining graveyard stand tw ...

History

Kilkieran was formerly a monastery dedicated to Ciarán of Saighir. The high crosses at Kilkieran were erected in the 9th century, and form part of the West Ossory group, including the

Killamery High Cross Killamery Cross is a 9th-century high cross and National Monument (Ireland), National Monument in Killamery, County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the north of Killamery graveyard. History A monastery was established ...

and

Kilree Kilree is a former Christian monastery and National Monument located in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Location Kilree is located 2.4 km (1 mile) south of Kells, County Kilkenny. History The monastery at Kilree was supposedly founded in the ...

. Local legend claims that the tall North Cross was once destroyed in an act of

iconoclasm Iconoclasm (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, wikt:κλάω, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών + wi ...

, but was painstakingly reconstructed in the mid-19th century by blind local stonemason Paddy Laurence, who had lost his sight while working on the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

in London.

Crosses

The crosses are made of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

; there are three of them and the fragments of a fourth.

West Cross

The west (decorated) cross is high with a conical cap and is similar to those at

. Carvings include eight horsemen,

chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums (), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants of the genus ''Chrysanthemum'' in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the center ...

Celtic interlace Celtic knots ( ga, snaidhm Cheilteach, cy, cwlwm Celtaidd, kw, kolm Keltek, gd, snaidhm Ceilteach) are a variety of knots and stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, used extensively in the Celtic style of Insular ...

and a

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...

-like crown.

North Cross

The North (Tall) Cross is tall and is unusually shaped: tall and slender, with short arms and no ring and a circular base, with hatched mouldings on the west face.

Plain Cross

The Plain (East) Cross is tall and undecorated, except for mouldings and a central

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...

that mimic metalwork, and a heavy

-like crown.

Other artefacts

Holy Water Font, Kilkieran High Crosses, Co

A phallic-shaped standing stone is near the wall, near St. Ciarán's

holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its gua ...

, which is near a

bullaun A bullaun ( ga, bullán; from a word cognate with "bowl" and French ''bol'') is the term used for the depression in a stone which is often water filled. Natural rounded boulders or pebbles may sit in the bullaun. The size of the bullaun is high ...

and a holy water font.

References

{{Reflist National Monuments in County Kilkenny High crosses in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Kilkenny