The Kilnaruane Pillar Stone is a carved monolith and National Monument located in County Cork, Ireland.[2]
| Kilnaruane Pillar Stone | |
|---|---|
| Native name Cill na Rómhán (Irish) | |
| Bantry Pillar Stone, St. Brendan's Stone | |
 View of northwest face | |
| Type | high cross remnant |
| Location | Kilnaruane, Bantry, County Cork, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 51°40′17″N 9°28′05″W / 51.671382°N 9.468068°W |
| Height | 2.13 m (7 ft) |
| Built | 8th century AD |
  Location of Kilnaruane Pillar Stone in Ireland | |
| Official name | Kilnaruane/Bantry Pillar Stone |
| Reference no. | 436[1] |
Location
editKilnaruane Pillar Stone is located about 1.6 km (1 mile) southwest of Bantry, atop a drumlin, in a square enclosure in a field.[3]
History
editA monastery may have been founded here by Brendan in the 6th century AD.[4]
The pillar was erected in the 8th or 9th century AD. The name may refer to "Church of the Romans", and a community which accepted the Roman dating of Easter, a major controversy in the early Middle Ages.[5][6]
The monastic settlement on the site may have been destroyed by a Viking attack.[7]
Description
editThe stone is a thin schist pillar 2.1 m tall.[8]
On the northeast face:
- Celtic knot
- an orans (praying figure)
- Greek cross
- Saints Anthony the Great and Paul the Hermit meeting in the desert: both were important figures in Christian monasticism. A raven flies down from heaven with a loaf of bread to feed them
On the southwest face
- Celtic knot
- Two pairs of sheep/goats with interlocked horns — this is now the symbol of the Sheep's Head peninsula
- a currach boat with four oarsmen and one figure steering the rowers through a sea of crosses. This could be Brendan or Cessair.[9]
Mortises on either side of the pillar were probably for attaching arms of the cross.[10] Nearby are stone fragments, possibly a bullaun or the arms of the high cross.[11][12]
-
Arm of the cross? -
Celtic interlace -
SE face
References
edit- ^ "National Monuments of County Cork in State Care" (PDF). heritageireland.ie. National Monument Service. p. 4. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Day, Catharina (1 January 2007). Southwest Ireland. New Holland Publishers. ISBN 9781860113628.
- ^ Johnstone, Paul (12 November 2013). The Sea-Craft of Prehistory. Routledge. ISBN 9781317762225.
- ^ The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map. "St Brendan's Stone (Kilnaruane)". megalithic.co.uk.
- ^ "The Kilnaruane Pillar Stone, Bantry, Ireland - BMD Notices".
- ^ "Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society". The Society. 1 January 1978 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Kilnaruane Stone - Museums and attractions - Bantry". ireland.com.
- ^ "Some Spared Stones of Ireland". irishmegaliths.org.uk.
- ^ McLaughlin, Barney. "Cork Cross - Irish High Crosses". irishhighcrosses.com.
- ^ McNally, Kenneth (2006). Ireland's Ancient Stones - A Megalithic Heritage. Appleby Press. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ "Kilnaruane stone - Sheep's Head Places". sheepsheadplaces.net.
- ^ "Kilnaruane Carved Pillar". irishantiquities.bravehost.com. Retrieved 10 June 2018.