Tomb - effigial

The National Monuments Service's description

Standing upright inside the door of the porch of Kilfenora Church of Ireland church (CL016-015004-) which occupies the nave of the former cathedral (CL016-015002-). This effigial tombstone formerly formed part of the sedilia in the chancel although that was not its original location. A slightly tapering slab with an incised image of a bishop holding a crosier. Described by Hunt (1974, vol. 1, 128) as a ‘bishop …shown in mass vestments, the chasuble incised to represent orphreys of chevron form with counter chevron folds. There is a large panel of ornament on the dalmatic and the alb has a deep apparel to its lower border. The bishop wears pointed shoes. On his head is a mitre with ornamented browband and orphreys and the infulae can be seen hanging down behind his neck. He carries an out-turned crozier of Irish form, the only one depicted of this shape in the country. It has four knops and a crook of the usual native Irish form surmounted by a cresting.’ Hunt dates the slab to the late 13th or early 14th century. (Hunt 1974, vol. 2, pl. 77)

The following images have been uploaded:
CL016-015011-_01.jpg Photo of effigial tomb slab after Hunt 1974.
CL016-015011-_02.jpg Effigial tomb slab erected in porch of cathedral (CL016-015002-).

Compiled by: Mary Tunney

Date of upload: 5 September 2018

References

Hunt, J. 1974 Irish medieval figure sculpture 1200-1600, 2 vols. Dublin. Irish University Press.