Cross of Cong
Encyclopedia
The Cross of Cong is an early 12th century Irish Christian
ornamented cusped processional cross
, which was, as an inscription says, made for Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (d. 1156), King of Connacht and High King of Ireland
to donate to the Cathedral church of the period that was located at Tuam
, County Galway, Ireland. The cross was subsequently moved to Cong Abbey
at Cong, County Mayo
, from which it takes its name. It was designed to be placed on top of a staff and is also a reliquary
, designed to hold a piece of the purported True Cross
. This gave it additional importance as an object of reverence and was undoubtedly the reason for the object's elaborate beauty.
The Cross will be on display in the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life
, Turlough Park, Castlebar, from Wednesday, 31 March 2010 for one year. This is the first time the Cross has been out of Dublin since the 1830s. Usually, the Cross is displayed at the National Museum of Ireland
, Dublin, having previously been in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy
, Dublin. It is considered one of finest examples of metalwork and decorative art of its period in Western Europe.
, copper, bronze
, brass
, enamel
, coloured glass, and other ornamentation. In addition to traditional Irish design features from Insular art
, the cross also displays some Viking
and Romanesque
influences, including 'strapwork
' decoration in the Urnes style
. It has been suggested that the older Insular stylistic elements may be deliberate revivalism. The decoration includes minute golden filigree
work in an intertwined pattern called on front and back. From the base heads of beasts on each side grip the cross in their mouth, a feature also found in German crosses. The overall shape of the cross was thought to be Romanesque, but recent discoveries have shown very similar shapes in much earlier Irish pieces. Some of the original precious stones and glass pieces that studded the cross are now missing.
There is a large polished piece of rock crystal in the centre of the cross. Under this was placed the relic (sent from Rome around the year A.D. 1123) of what at the time was believed to be the True Cross. The relic is since lost, and was a small fragment of wood only. The crystal is semi-transparent, once enabling the relic to be partially seen by the viewer.
The cross is 30 inches high and the arms are 18 inches in breadth.
As a processional cross, the cross was carried mounted on its staff at the head of a religious procession by one of the officiating clergy or altar-servers. Often such crosses were then removed from their staff and placed on the altar during the ceremony.
, supported by the inscriptions on the cross itself (which reference known historical personages), the cross was made in County Roscommon
. In the annals, the cross is sometimes called in the Irish language
"an Bacall Buidhe", which translates as "the yellow staff" — a reference to its golden colour.
The cross was commissioned by King Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair.
In A.D. 1123, according to the Irish annals, a small piece of the purported True Cross arrived in Ireland from Rome and was enshrined at Roscommon. The cross then appears to have moved to Tuam. At an early date, probably in the mid-12th century, the cross was moved from Tuam to Cong Abbey
, an abbey founded by the Augustinians
on a much earlier Christian site.
In later centuries, the exact location of the cross in the Cong area is uncertain but it appears to be have been hidden by locals and ecclesiastics in their homes because of religious persecution against Catholics, which reached its peak in Ireland under the penal laws
.
In 1680, Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh
, the historian from County Galway, saw the cross (which he referred to as the "Abbot of Cong's Cross") and copied inscriptions from it. Edward Lhuyd
of Wales
, Ó Flaithbheartaigh's friend, recorded this fact in his "Archaeologia Britannica", published in 1707.
In the 19th century, George Petrie, the Irish antiquarian
, was aware that Lhuyd's book mentioned the cross, though he partly misinterpreted the details. In 1822, Petrie had seen the cross himself when he passed through Cong on a tour he made of Connacht. Petrie told his friend, Professor James MacCullagh
(of Trinity College, Dublin
), about the cross and of its historical value. MacCullagh, using his own money, though not a rich man, afterwards purchased the cross from the Parish Priest of Cong — Fr. Michael Waldron. Fr. Waldron had succeeded Fr. Patrick Prendergast
as Parish Priest of Cong, when Fr. Prendergast died in 1829, and discovered the cross amongst his belongings. Fr. Patrick Prendergast, an Augustinian, was also considered to be the last Abbot of Cong Abbey. Fr. Prendergast had discovered the cross hidden in an old oak chest kept in a house in the village, where it was said to have been kept since about the mid-17th century (the time of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
). Fr. Prendergast then kept the cross in his house, named 'Abbotstown', located on a farm in the townland of Ballymagibbon (or Ballymacgibbon), which is close to Cong. William Wilde
, who was from this part of Ireland, had seen the cross in his childhood in Fr. Prendergast's possession and stated that at that time (the early 19th century) the cross was used at Cong chapel at the festivals of Christmas and Easter, when it was placed on the altar during mass. MacCullagh presented the cross in 1839 to the Royal Irish Academy
, where it was for a long period one of its most treasured artefacts.
About 1890, the cross was transferred to the newly opened National Museum of Science and Art, Dublin, which was the predecessor of National Museum of Ireland. Later, when the National Museum of Ireland was founded in 1925, it occupied the same building. Today, the cross remains in the National Museum of Ireland
, where it is currently on display for visitors.
.
engraving (taken from a rubbing) of one of these inscriptions is shown below,
In modern Latin this is rendered as
Christianity in Ireland
Christianity is and has been the largest religion in Ireland, both in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Irish Christianity is dominated by the Roman Catholic Church which has 86.8% of the Republic's population as followers. Most churches are organized on an all-Ireland basis which...
ornamented cusped processional cross
Processional Cross
A processional cross is a crucifix or cross which is carried in Christian processions. Such crosses have a long history: the Gregorian mission of Saint Augustine of Canterbury to England carried one before them "like a standard", according to Bede. Other sources suggest that all churches were...
, which was, as an inscription says, made for Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (d. 1156), King of Connacht and High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
to donate to the Cathedral church of the period that was located at Tuam
Tuam
Tuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...
, County Galway, Ireland. The cross was subsequently moved to Cong Abbey
Cong Abbey
Cong Abbey is a historic site located at Cong, on the borders of counties Galway and Mayo, in Ireland's province of Connacht. Founded in the early 7th century, by Saint Feichin, the abbey was destroyed by fire in the early 12th century. Turlough Mor O’Connor, the High King of Ireland, refounded the...
at Cong, County Mayo
Cong, County Mayo
Cong is a village straddling the borders of County Galway and County Mayo, in Ireland. Cong is situated on an island formed by a number of streams that surround it on all sides...
, from which it takes its name. It was designed to be placed on top of a staff and is also a reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
, designed to hold a piece of the purported True Cross
True Cross
The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a...
. This gave it additional importance as an object of reverence and was undoubtedly the reason for the object's elaborate beauty.
The Cross will be on display in the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life
Museum of Country Life
The Museum of Country Life is located in Turlough Village, 8 km northeast of Castlebar, County Mayo in Ireland. Established in 2001, the museum is part of the National Museum of Ireland. The museum exhibits the way of life of rural Irish people between 1850 and 1950, and it is in the grounds...
, Turlough Park, Castlebar, from Wednesday, 31 March 2010 for one year. This is the first time the Cross has been out of Dublin since the 1830s. Usually, the Cross is displayed at the National Museum of Ireland
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland is the national museum in Ireland. It has three branches in Dublin and one in County Mayo, with a strong emphasis on Irish art, culture and natural history.-Archaeology:...
, Dublin, having previously been in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
, Dublin. It is considered one of finest examples of metalwork and decorative art of its period in Western Europe.
Description
The cross consists of an oak cross, covered in gold, silver, nielloNiello
Niello is a black mixture of copper, silver, and lead sulphides, used as an inlay on engraved or etched metal. It can be used for filling in designs cut from metal...
, copper, bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
, brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
, enamel
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
, coloured glass, and other ornamentation. In addition to traditional Irish design features from Insular art
Insular art
Insular art, also known as Hiberno-Saxon art, is the style of art produced in the post-Roman history of Ireland and Great Britain. The term derives from insula, the Latin term for "island"; in this period Britain and Ireland shared a largely common style different from that of the rest of Europe...
, the cross also displays some Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
and Romanesque
Romanesque art
Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque...
influences, including 'strapwork
Strapwork
In the history of art and design, the term strapwork refers to a stylised representation in ornament of strips or bands of curling leather, parchment or metal cut into elaborate shapes, with piercings and often interwoven...
' decoration in the Urnes style
Urnes style
The Urnes style was the last phase of Scandinavian animal art during the second half of the 11th century and in the early 12th century. The preceding phases of Scandinavia's Viking Age animal ornamentation are usually categorized as Oseberg style, Borre style, Jelling style, Mammen style and...
. It has been suggested that the older Insular stylistic elements may be deliberate revivalism. The decoration includes minute golden filigree
Filigree
Filigree is a delicate kind of jewellery metalwork made with twisted threads usually of gold and silver or stitching of the same curving motifs. It often suggests lace, and in recent centuries remains popular in Indian and other Asian metalwork, and French from 1660 to the late 19th century...
work in an intertwined pattern called on front and back. From the base heads of beasts on each side grip the cross in their mouth, a feature also found in German crosses. The overall shape of the cross was thought to be Romanesque, but recent discoveries have shown very similar shapes in much earlier Irish pieces. Some of the original precious stones and glass pieces that studded the cross are now missing.
There is a large polished piece of rock crystal in the centre of the cross. Under this was placed the relic (sent from Rome around the year A.D. 1123) of what at the time was believed to be the True Cross. The relic is since lost, and was a small fragment of wood only. The crystal is semi-transparent, once enabling the relic to be partially seen by the viewer.
The cross is 30 inches high and the arms are 18 inches in breadth.
As a processional cross, the cross was carried mounted on its staff at the head of a religious procession by one of the officiating clergy or altar-servers. Often such crosses were then removed from their staff and placed on the altar during the ceremony.
History
According to Irish annalsIrish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
, supported by the inscriptions on the cross itself (which reference known historical personages), the cross was made in County Roscommon
County Roscommon
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...
. In the annals, the cross is sometimes called in the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
"an Bacall Buidhe", which translates as "the yellow staff" — a reference to its golden colour.
In A.D. 1123, according to the Irish annals, a small piece of the purported True Cross arrived in Ireland from Rome and was enshrined at Roscommon. The cross then appears to have moved to Tuam. At an early date, probably in the mid-12th century, the cross was moved from Tuam to Cong Abbey
Cong Abbey
Cong Abbey is a historic site located at Cong, on the borders of counties Galway and Mayo, in Ireland's province of Connacht. Founded in the early 7th century, by Saint Feichin, the abbey was destroyed by fire in the early 12th century. Turlough Mor O’Connor, the High King of Ireland, refounded the...
, an abbey founded by the Augustinians
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
on a much earlier Christian site.
In later centuries, the exact location of the cross in the Cong area is uncertain but it appears to be have been hidden by locals and ecclesiastics in their homes because of religious persecution against Catholics, which reached its peak in Ireland under the penal laws
Penal Laws (Ireland)
The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
.
In 1680, Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh
Ruaidhri Ó Flaithbheartaigh
Ruaidhri Ó Flaithbheartaigh, King of Iar Connacht and Chief of the Name, fl. 1244-1273.-Biography:Ruaidhri was a brother of the preceding chief, Morogh...
, the historian from County Galway, saw the cross (which he referred to as the "Abbot of Cong's Cross") and copied inscriptions from it. Edward Lhuyd
Edward Lhuyd
Edward Lhuyd was a Welsh naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary. He is also known by the Latinized form of his name, Eduardus Luidius....
of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Ó Flaithbheartaigh's friend, recorded this fact in his "Archaeologia Britannica", published in 1707.
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
, was aware that Lhuyd's book mentioned the cross, though he partly misinterpreted the details. In 1822, Petrie had seen the cross himself when he passed through Cong on a tour he made of Connacht. Petrie told his friend, Professor James MacCullagh
James MacCullagh
James MacCullagh was an Irish mathematician.Born in Landahaussy, near Plumbridge, County Tyrone, Ireland, but the family moved to Curly Hill, Strabane when James was about 10. He was a fellow of Trinity College Dublin and a contemporary there of William Rowan Hamilton...
(of Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
), about the cross and of its historical value. MacCullagh, using his own money, though not a rich man, afterwards purchased the cross from the Parish Priest of Cong — Fr. Michael Waldron. Fr. Waldron had succeeded Fr. Patrick Prendergast
Fr. Patrick Prendergast
Father Patrick Prendergast, last Abbot of Cong and guardian of the Cross of Cong, 1741-1829.Prendergast may have been a seminarian at St Omer, which was suppressed in 1791...
as Parish Priest of Cong, when Fr. Prendergast died in 1829, and discovered the cross amongst his belongings. Fr. Patrick Prendergast, an Augustinian, was also considered to be the last Abbot of Cong Abbey. Fr. Prendergast had discovered the cross hidden in an old oak chest kept in a house in the village, where it was said to have been kept since about the mid-17th century (the time of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
). Fr. Prendergast then kept the cross in his house, named 'Abbotstown', located on a farm in the townland of Ballymagibbon (or Ballymacgibbon), which is close to Cong. William Wilde
William Wilde
Sir William Robert Wills Wilde MD, FRCSI, was an Irish eye and ear surgeon, as well as an author of significant works on medicine, archaeology and folklore, particularly concerning his native Ireland...
, who was from this part of Ireland, had seen the cross in his childhood in Fr. Prendergast's possession and stated that at that time (the early 19th century) the cross was used at Cong chapel at the festivals of Christmas and Easter, when it was placed on the altar during mass. MacCullagh presented the cross in 1839 to the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
, where it was for a long period one of its most treasured artefacts.
About 1890, the cross was transferred to the newly opened National Museum of Science and Art, Dublin, which was the predecessor of National Museum of Ireland. Later, when the National Museum of Ireland was founded in 1925, it occupied the same building. Today, the cross remains in the National Museum of Ireland
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland is the national museum in Ireland. It has three branches in Dublin and one in County Mayo, with a strong emphasis on Irish art, culture and natural history.-Archaeology:...
, where it is currently on display for visitors.
Inscriptions
The cross has inscriptions on it — all of which are in the Irish language, with the exception of one which is in LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
.
Latin
The Latin inscription occurs twice — once on each side of the shaft — in one case the letters of the sixth word are "Pahus", and in the other, "Pasus"; it should be "Passus". A facsimileFacsimile
A facsimile is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of reproduction by attempting to replicate the source as accurately as possible in terms of scale,...
engraving (taken from a rubbing) of one of these inscriptions is shown below,
In modern Latin this is rendered as
"Hac cruce crux tegitur qua pas[s]us conditor orbis",which has been translated as
"With this cross is covered the cross on which suffered the Maker of the World."or, with similar meaning, as
"In this cross is preserved [or conserved] the cross on which the Founder of the world suffered."
Irish
In addition, the translated Irish language inscriptions read as follows:A prayer for Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair, for the King of Ireland, for whom [that is, at whose desire or expense] this shrine was made.
Pray for Muireadhach Ua DubhthaighMuireadhach Ua Dubhthaigh-Background:A member of a Connacht ecclesiastical family, Ua Dubhthaigh was born during the reign of King Áed Ua Ruairc . His family were natives of Lissonuffy in what is now north-east County Roscommon, and produced a number of abbots and bishops....
, the Senior of Erin.
Pray for Domnall mac Flannacáin Ua Dubthaig, Bishop of Connacht and Comarb [Successor] of [Saints] Comman and Ciaran, under whose superintendence the shrine was made.
Pray for Mael Isu mac Bratdan O Echan, who made this shrine.