Cross - High cross

The National Monuments Service's description

In the graveyard of Ullard 12th-century church (KK025-038001-) and graveyard (KK025-038009-), located immediately SE of a handball alley which was built onto the E end of the church. The church is dedicated to St Fiachra, who according to tradition founded it in the latter part of the 6th-century (Vigors 1893, 257). Three separate fragments of a granite cross, a cross base, a cross-head (H 1.54m; Wth 1.25m) with the top of the shaft (Wth 0.35m; T 0.29m) and the lower part of a cross-shaft (H 0.93m; Wth 0.45m; T 0.36m), have been mounted together to form this high cross. The middle portion of the shaft is formed from modern cement. Though currently facing SE-NW, Harbison (1992, 183-4) describes the SE face as E and the NW face as W. As described by Harbison, the cross-head has an imperforate ring, with slender roll-mouldings around the edges of both the cross and ring. The head narrows in thickness towards the top. The E and W facing segments of the ring were probably decorated but most this is worn, apart from spiral ornament on the lower left-hand segment on the E face. The sides of the cross are not decorated, nor is the cross base, apart from the E face. The E face of the cross base is divided into three horizontal bands. Both upper two bands are divided into two panels, these are quite worn, though interlace decoration is discernible. The lower band is divided into three panels, the left has a knot of interlace, the centre has four interlinked knots of interlace and the right has a four-legged spiral with ‘nail-head’ in-fills. The lowest panel on the E face of the shaft is decorated with six figures, presumably Apostles, shown frontally three over three. The E face of the cross head is centrally decorated with the Crucifixion, a large figure of Christ with arms outstretched, with two smaller figures beneath the arms, representing Longinus on the left, piercing Christ’s armpit with an upright lance and Stephaton, on the right, offering vinegar at the end of a pole. There is an angel above each of Christ’s shoulders. The uppermost cross arm has a panel with two figures, one possibly holding a sword and the other a shield, interpreted as David and Goliath. The S arm has a panel with a figure, David, on a chair playing a harp which rests on his knee. The N arm has a panel depicting Abraham holding up his sword over Isaac who is crouching on an altar. The lower arm has a panel showing Adam and Eve facing each other with an arm outstretched, probably exchanging an apple from the apple tree between them, its fruit laden branches spreading out over each figure. The central panel on the W face is very worn. Harbison describes two figures seated opposite each other and suggests these may be Paul and Anthony holding the bread between them with, possibly, a bird flying above them. The uppermost cross arm has a panel depicting three figures, two upright with a third upside-down between them. There have been several suggested interpretations for this panel including The Slaughter of the Innocents, The Judgement of Solomon and Saints Paul and Anthony overcoming the devil in human form or one or other of these saints being held upside-down by demons. The S arm depicts The Temptation of St Anthony, the saint being shown in the centre flanked on each side by a demon with a human body and animal head. The panel on the N arm depicts two figures, the rightmost figure appears to be thrusting a long stick into the head of the other figure. (Harbison 1992, vol. 1, 183-4; vol. 2, figs, 642-4).

See attached photographs:
KK025-038002-_01 View of S side and E face
KK025-038002-_02 View of N side
KK025-038002-_03 E face of cross head
KK025-038002-_04 Cross base – E face
KK025-038002-_05 Panel at base of cross shaft – E face

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 14 February 2017

References

Vigors, P. D. 1893 The antiquities of Ullard, County Kilkenny, 1892. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 23, 251-8.

Harbison, P. 1992 The high crosses of Ireland: an iconographical and photographic survey, 3 vols. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy. Bonn. Dr. Rudolf Habelt GMBH.