<< Our Photo Pages >> St Mura's Cross (Fahan) - Early Christian Sculptured Stone in Ireland (Republic of) in Co. Donegal
Submitted by Sunny100 on Saturday, 29 October 2011 Page Views: 10470
Early Medieval (Dark Age)Site Name: St Mura's Cross (Fahan) Alternative Name: St Mura's Cross-Slab, The Fahan CrossCountry: Ireland (Republic of)
NOTE: This site is 4.898 km away from the location you searched for.
County: Co. Donegal Type: Early Christian Sculptured Stone
Nearest Town: Buncrana Nearest Village: Fahan (Fahan Mura)
Map Ref: C3360426970
Latitude: 55.088897N Longitude: 7.474494W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Early Christian Sculptured Stone in Co. Donegal
The village of Fahan (Fathan Mor or Fahan Mura) is located some 3 miles south of Buncrana close to the R238 road east of Lough Swilly, Malin Head. In the ancient graveyard of St Mura stands an early carved Christian cross-slab of the 7th century CE. St Mura's holy well stands close by the cross-slab.
Amongst the monastic ruins of St Mura's 17th century church and early Christian monastery, founded by St Columba, stands an elaborately carved cross-slab of the 7th-8th century CE. The slab is thought to have marked the grave (bed) of St Mura (550-645) who was appointed first abbot here by St Columba in 597 about the time when the saint died at Iona. The slab is slightly pointed at the top and is carved (on the front face) with intricate ribbonwork interlacing within which a long Latin-style cross rises up. At the top there a four small boses between the arms and a fifth in the centre of the cross-head.
The western face has two figures at each side of the cross; they have long hair and equally long garments. There is a faint inscription which probably recalls abbot Mura or Muraghtagh, while on the east face there are some birds; the workmanship on both sides being very elaborate with thick ribbonwork, in the form of a stem, taking ones eyes ever upwards to the top of the slab itself.
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