The Muiredach Cross is a Celtic cross left over from the Monasterboice monastery, a 6th-century religious building. This cross is considered a true masterpiece of Celtic art, due to the complexity of its carving and its monumental appearance.
Monasterboice – © spectrumblue
The Muiredach Cross is said to be the work of an abbot of the same name, who lived at Monasterboice between the 9th and 10th centuries. A great draughtsman, the man devoted several years of his life to drawing, designing and then sculpting what is believed to be Ireland’s finest high cross.
The more attentive among you will notice that the cross bears his signature: an inscription bearing the name of Muiredach figures prominently on the cross, sandwiched between two large cats and interlacing networks.
The colossal work on this cross required many years of skill and expertise. We lack data on the creation of the sculpture, but it is highly probable that the abbot was helped by other disciples. (At the time, monks were engaged in all sorts of activities, of which sculpture was sometimes one).
Today, the cross is still intact. Visitors flock here every year to admire all its subtleties. The ornamentation is so extensive that you could spend several days contemplating it!
The Muiredach Cross is 5.8 metres high, and is located close to the Monasterboice Round Tower. It was erected in 913 after many years of painstaking work. Made entirely of sandstone, it is sculpted on all 4 sides with extreme finesse and subtlety.
More than 70 scenes from the Old Testament were carved here, around a central Last Judgment scene. The entire cross features more than 124 sculpted figures and animals. Interlacing and other Celtic motifs adorn the 4 faces of the cross, while an inscription engraved on the west face bears the name ” Muiredach“, the name of an abbot who existed in the 10th century.
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