Downpatrick High Crosses

Grid reference: J482444

Geology:

dates: G2 Outer Mourne granite; replica G2 Inner Mourne granite (from Thomas’ Mountain Quarry) Scripture Cross late 9th/early 10th century; St Patrick’s Cross 9th century; socket stone (now font) 9th/early 10th century; small wall-mounted crosses 12th century

Downpatrick only got the second part of its name in the 1180s when the norman conqueror of the County, John de Courcy, miraculously ‘discovered’ what he claimed were the bones of Ireland’s three national Apostles, Patrick, brigid and Colmcille, and had them presumably displayed in the present Cathedral’s predecessor – even though we know that Colmcille died and was buried in the monastery he founded on the Hebridean island of Iona. Probably as early as the late fifth century, the Hill of Down had been the centre of power of the Dál Fiatach, who provided the ulaid with many of its over-kings. by the second half of the eighth century at latest, it had been transformed into a monastic foundation which it remained in the old Irish fashion until the twelfth century when, in 1111, it became an important episcopal see. Its bishop from 1137 until his death in 1148, was the famous Irish church reformer, st. Malachy, who was also a papal legate. The reforms he spearheaded later brought the benedictines to Downpatrick in 1183, and it was their church (started in the early thirteenth century and never finished on the grand scale originally designed) that later became the Cathedral church of the diocese.

Along with Donaghmore and one of the Clonlea crosses, the Downpatrick High Cross is the only known bearer of biblical scenes in early medieval Down. now 7 feet 10 inches tall above the base, the cross head, shaft and socket stonebase are made from Mourne granite, according to geologist Ian Meighan (see table 2 aboveAppendix 1).

The cross stood at the east end of Down Cathedral from 1897 until 2013, prior to which it lay in pieces in various locations, having been removed from the foot of english street in 1729, from which it got the name of ‘The

Market Cross’. Its long exposure to the elements and various moves help to explain its weathered and worn condition, though it may also have suffered somewhat from the hammer of pilgrims or iconoclasts. The Cross was removed to the Museum in the winter of 2013-14 in order to conserve it and place it on display under cover. It was replaced by a replica cross in Mourne granite made by s McConnell and sons of Kilkeel just in time for easter, on 16 April 2014. After a programme of conservation and recording, the original cross takes pride of place in a new gallery in the Museum from the summer of 2015.

The replica High Cross, made by S. McConnell and Sons of Kilkeel, is put in place on 16 April 2014.

The roll moulding at the corner of the shaft seems to have been deliberately removed on all four corners, as has the decoration on the north side – fortunately leaving intact the interlace on the south side. The abrasion of the figures makes identification extremely difficult, so that what follows is, at least to some extent, informed guesswork based largely, though not entirely, on comparisons with the biblical scenes on other ulster crosses.

Shaft

The bottom of the shaft is missing, having been trimmed off to make a tenon, probably before it was re-erected in 1897. beginning with the west face, most people would agree that what is visible of the lowest panel is a scene representing Adam and Eve, with the branches of the apple tree arching over their respective heads to fall down (now invisibly) behind their backs. without any framing device or bar (as on the east face), the next panel up may well be Cain and Abel, who are usually shown on ulster crosses as a group of three, the third figure, in this case on the left, presumably representing the lord. other than the heads, the most striking feature here is the upright object behind the figure on the right which could be taken as the club with which Cain killed his brother who, thereby, became the first innocent victim of the old testament.

Above that is what seems to be an figure on asshorseback with large ears, bearing a rider who facesriding towards the left and makes a blessing gesture., whose significance or identity remains obscure Michael King has made a case for this scene representing Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem, though usually Christ faces right rather than left on such depictions.

The upper half of the shaft consists of two scarcely-differentiated panels each with three figures or, in certain lighting conditions, a single tall figure facing right and flanked on both sides by much smaller figures. All is too worn to be able to suggest reliable identifications. on the east face, the only panel to offer a reasonable likelihood of identification is the tallest one, second from the bottom. In it, we see one figure standing on the right and moving towards the left, a second one possibly facing us in the centre, and on the left a seated figure facing right, above whom is a third standing figure. This may wellis most likely to be The Adoration of the Magi, with the seated Virgin presenting the

The west (originally east) face of the Downpatrick High Cross.

Detail of Cain (right) and Abel (centre), with God the Father witnessing Cain’s crime on the left.

now imperceptible Christ child to the Three Kings coming from the east. The other panels below and above the thick horizontal bars (somewhat reminiscent of Arboe) present significant problems of interpretation due to weathering. Michael King interprets the top scene as representing the hermits st Paul and st Antony on the occasion of their meeting and breaking of bread in st Paul’s cave in 346 AD, though this scene is now very worn. Given that the chronological order of scenes on High Cross shafts usually (but not always) goes from bottom to top, one would expect the panel below the bar beneath the Magi to be an Annunciation or a Visitation, or even a John the Baptist scene, but none of these seems likely. one possibility is SS. Paul and Anthony breaking the loaf of bread between them at chin level, with the raven above (at an angle) having brought the full loaf. but, if so, it would be a most unusual for it. Above the thick bar over the Magi are panels of three and two figures respectively which, however, are too worn to attempt any reasonable identification.

The east (originally west) face of the Downpatrick High Cross.

Head

The head has worn very badly on both faces, but at least on the east face we can make out The Crucifixion, with Christ attended by stephaton and longinus, and also by the thieves on the arms. The west face very probably has a Last Judgment scene, there being enough standing figures visible to support such an identification.

The Crucifixion on the east face of the Downpatrick High Cross.

Other crosses

In the Cathedral porch, there are two cross-fragments which fit together and probably formed the top of the shaft and the crossing of a Mourne granite cross which has an interlace pattern enclosed by two circular mouldings in the centre of the head. It has part of a meander motif on the arm and an indeterminate pattern on the shaft on one face. on the reverse is a sunken circular centre flanked by interlace on the top of the shaft, as well as a rectangular sunken panel on one arm. Another separate fragment also has a rectangular sunken panel on one side, a generous spiral decoration on the other face, and a small tenon, which would have necessitated a mortise hole

to fit into. These fragments may have been part of st Patrick’s Cross, shown in drawings as standing at st Patrick’s Grave in the 1840s.

A fragment of the cross-head of St Patrick’s Cross, now inside the entrance of Down Cathedral (photograph by Bryan Rutledge).

Sketch of St Patrick’s Cross in 1840 (Down County Museum Collection; acquired with the assistance of P. Harbison).

In the Cathedral nave there is a squared baptismal font of Mourne granite with sunken vertical panels which sufficiently resembles that of the base of the Drumgooland/Drumadonnell cross, as Michael King pointed out to me, that it may once have been the base of a cross – perhaps for the scripture Cross or st Patrick’s Cross.

The font in Down Cathedral, made from a socket stone for a High Cross.

Close by, on an east-facing crossing-wall, are the remains of two comparatively small crosses of differing sizes bearing figures standing out in high relief as found in crosses particularly in Munster and Connacht in the mid- to late-twelfth century. both crosses have an unpierced ring. The larger of the two bears the figure of an ecclesiastic with damaged head, wearing a long grooved garment to the feet, with a cloak of similar fabric over it to below the thigh. In the right hand it holds a crook facing towards its left while, in the right hand, it holds a roughly square-shaped object with what could be taken as two finials on top. This is probably a reliquary, and the figure may well represent st. Patrick holding a relic of himself (not entirely unusual in medieval statuary), the cross commissioned perhaps by John de Courcy, norman conqueror of ulster, after he had – in one of the great PR coups of the Irish Middle Ages - miraculously ‘discovered’ the bones of Ireland’s three national Apostles, Patrick, brigid and Columba (of whom only Patrick may have been buried in the Downpatrick area!). A smaller and less complete cross-head has a smaller figure bearing on the chest or breast

a square cross-decorated object which could equally have been meant to represent a reliquary – this time perhaps of st. brigid.

Two small crosses placed in the wall of the narthex of Down Cathedral.

Now drive from Downpatrick to Castlewellan, where, in the square, you can see a replica of the Drumadonnell High Cross, located on the left as you drive through the centre of the town. [Insert map 3 here, showing route between Downpatrick and Castlewellan, also showing locations of Drumgooland and Drumadonnell.]