Tomb - effigial

The National Monuments Service's description

Inserted into the internal E gable of the choir, on the N side. This floor-slab (L 0.99m; Wth at top 0.82m; Wth towards the base 0.63m), chamfered along its edges, is decorated with the incised effigy of a man and woman, both dressed in civilian attire. The lower portion of the tapering slab is missing. The woman, on the dexter side, is holding a four-armed floriated cross, with a knop beneath the cross-head. She is wearing a veil on her head and a mantle over a gown with tight sleeves (Hunt 1974, 220). The man is earing a tunic with tight sleeves beneath a supertunic with a round neck and has short hair with curls below the ears (ibid.). Hunt dates this slab to the first half of the 14th century (ibid.). It has been suggested that the figures represent St. Augustine and his mother St. Monica (O'Farrell 1985, 81-2), however, there is no firm evidence to support this theory (Brennan 1990, 195).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

O'Farrell, F. 1985 Incised slab at Athassel Priory, Co. Tipperary. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 32, 81-3.

Brennan, P. 1990 Incised effigial slab at Athassel Priory. Tipperary Historical Journal, 193-5.

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