Monasterboice

The Monasterboice High Crosses and round tower form one of Ireland’s most important early Christian sites, founded in the 6th century. The site is best known for its remarkable high crosses, including Muiredach’s Cross, widely regarded as one of the finest in Ireland, with detailed carvings depicting biblical scenes.

Monasterboice, originating from the Irish 'Mainistir Bhuithe' (monastery of Buite), stands as one of Ireland's earliest Christian sites. St. Buite, an Irish monk and devoted disciple of St. Patrick, is a central figure in its history. Legend has it that in the year 480, during his journey back from Rome, St. Buite performed a miraculous feat by raising Nechtan Morbet, the King of Pictland (Scotland), from the dead.

Monasterboice round tower with high cross.

On a private Boyne Valley day tour, your driver guide can take you through Monasterboice to see the Round Tower, the splendid High Crosses, and the remnants of two churches. The site pairs well with nearby Mellifont Abbey and the medieval gateway town of Drogheda.

While initially believed to have functioned as refuges from Viking raids, round towers, indicated by the Irish term 'cloic theach' meaning a bell house, also served the purpose of bell towers. In 1097, the tower at Monasterboice fell victim to a destructive fire that consumed the monastic library and valuable treasures. Despite this setback, the tower remains remarkably well-preserved, albeit missing its conical cap. Remarkably, it stands as the second tallest round tower in Ireland.

The Vikings occupied the site for a period until they were routed by Domhnall, King of Tara, in 968. Following this, St. Buite's monastery continued to serve as a vital hub for spirituality and education for numerous centuries, maintaining its prominence until the establishment of Mellifont Abbey nearby in 1142.

Monasterboice boasts two of Ireland's most exceptional High Crosses (Celtic Crosses) - the South Cross (or Cross of Muiredach) and the West Cross (or Tall Cross) - both dating back to the 10th century. Crafted from sandstone, these crosses exhibit intricate carvings illustrating scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Today, the image of the High Cross holds global recognition, transcending its religious significance to become a symbol of Ireland's rich cultural heritage.

Monasterboice - Heritage Guide

Archaeology Ireland Heritage Guide, Monasterboice.

This short, well produced guide is the best companion for a visit to Monasterboice. Written by Conleth Manning, Senior Archaeologist with the National Monuments Service, it draws on a lifetime of work on Ireland's Early Christian and medieval monuments. Archaeology Ireland published it in December 2015 as Heritage Guide No. 71, with support from Louth County Council and the Heritage Council.

Manning sets the scene clearly. Monasterboice was founded by Saint Buite, who died about AD 520, and the name comes from Mainistir Bhuithe, the monastery of Buite. The site appears often in the Irish annals from the early eighth century to the twelfth, and later faded as nearby Mellifont Abbey rose to prominence. What remains in the graveyard today is still remarkable: two ruined churches, a round tower about 28 m (92 feet) high, and three high crosses.

The guide is especially strong on the sculpture. Muiredach's Cross stands about 5.2 m (17 feet) tall and is carved all over with biblical scenes, including the Crucifixion and the Last Judgement. An Irish inscription links it with a Muiredach who died in 924. The Tall Cross, also called the West Cross, rises to about 7.1 m (23 feet) and is again covered in carved scenes. Together they are among Ireland's finest high crosses, and the guide explains their iconography, dating (likely between about 850 and 920), and artistic importance with clear maps and photographs.

It also covers the round tower, burned in 1097 "with its books and many treasures," the North and South churches, early grave-slabs, and the wider early medieval settlement beyond the present graveyard wall. If you want to understand what you are looking at before or after your visit, this is the guide to download.

Download the Monasterboice Heritage Guide PDF (about 2 MB)

Monasterboice, A Powerful Place

From a distance, the first you see of Monasterboice is a tall round tower, jagged at the top, missing its original conical roof. The 28 m (92 feet) round tower pokes up above the surrounding countryside, announcing, "Here is Monasterboice." Yet its original purpose was not just to be a beacon and a belfry: the unique Irish round towers, associated with monastic complexes, were also built to shelter inhabitants and valuables during Viking raids. Their doorways are almost always high-up to 4 m (13 feet) above the ground. Entry is only possible by ladder, which could be drawn up in times of danger. Unfortunately, that strategy did not prevent Monasterboice's tower from being burned in 1097, along with the monastery's library and other treasures. Before being burned, the tower was probably 33 m (108 feet) high.

St Bhuithe (died 521CE) founded Monasterboice, hence the name, derived from Mainistir Bhuithe. The oldest monuments that survive are the three High Crosses and the round tower, which date from the tenth century. After the Cistercian abbey at Mellifont was established in 1142, Monasterboice was abandoned. A parish church was established on the site in the thirteenth century, and the remains of two small churches can still be seen.

High Crosses are found in both Britain and Ireland, but they are more numerous and much more finely carved in Ireland. Over 300 survive in Ireland. Along with their height, their distinctive feature is the ringed crosshead. The decorated ring or wheel that surrounds the center of the cross supports the weight of the center and the extended arms. It also brings a touch of Celtic spirituality to the Christian form, reminding us of the cycles of seasons and of the cycle of life and death and rebirth and of unity and perfection.

Muiredach's High Cross at Monasterboice.

Irish High Crosses were carved between the eight and twelfth centuries. Early crosses were decorated with simple geometrical reliefs, but in the ninth and tenth centuries biblical scenes were introduced, meant to be "read" in a particular order, usually from the ground up.

Interlaces, geometrical motifs, entangled creatures, what we often think of as "Celtic" art is derived from the style found all across northern Europe, Germany, Scandinavia and Anglo-Saxon England. It is quite possible that the High Crosses were originally colored or brightly painted. Although the scenes carved on the High Crosses may have been edifying "sermons in stone", similar to the "sermons in glass" found in stained-glass windows, the High Crosses were also status symbols for the monasteries and their patrons.

Monasterboice has three High Crosses, two of which are quite impressive. The South or Muiredach's Cross is 5 m (17 feet) high and is one of the most perfect in Ireland, a true national treasure. It is named after an abbot, probably Muiredach mac Domhnaill, who died in 923 CE and is commemorated in carving on the base. It is carved from a single block of sandstone attached to a pyramidal base; a decorative sandstone capstone sits on top. The entire surface of Muiredach's Cross is covered with ornate designs based on an underlying geometrical grid-a way in which the skilled stone carvers gave visual representation to the geometrical matrix that underlies reality.

Detailed figural sculptures of biblical stories (both Old and New Testaments) decorate the cross on the east and west sides; geometric and interlace ornamentations are carved on the narrower north and south sides. A series of zodiacal figures adorn the base. Its capstone is a tiny roofed building or miniature oratory, perhaps representing a reliquary. It includes a depiction of St. Paul and St. Anthony in the (Egyptian) desert.

The east side of Muiredach's cross, as is usual for High Crosses, focuses on images from the Old Testament. It begins at the base with a scene from the Garden of Eden, then moves up to Cain and Abel, David and Goliath, Moses, and the Magi. Within the wheeled center and extending through both arms is Christ at the Last Judgment. According to Nigel Pennick, this image is "based on the iconography of the resurrected Egyptian god, Osiris. Christ is holding a cross and Irminsul-staff in the Osirian position, and on his head is an eagle that resembles the crown of Egyptian gods and pharaohs". Pennick interprets the figure to the left of Christ as Pan with his pipes, the harp-playing figure on the right as either King David or Apollo.

The west side is devoted, more or less, to the life of Christ, beginning at the base (above the inscription and some charming Celtic cats) with his arrest at Gethsemane and continuing upward to his crucifixion (complete with soldiers mocking Christ) and then his Resurrection. On the north side, under the outstretched cross-arm, is a depiction of the Hand of God (Dextera Dei) with a nimbus of power behind it, above intertwining vines with human heads.

The West Cross or Tall Cross stands near the north church and the round tower. It is 7 m (23 feet) high, the tallest High Cross in Ireland or anywhere else. It also is covered with biblical scenes, though they are badly eroded. On the east side of the crosshead is a carving of David killing a lion with a hurley stick and ball-the earliest depiction of the game in Ireland. The west side includes another crucifixion scene. The North Cross, which has been heavily reconstructed, stands to the north, next to what remains of an old stone sundial.

Monasterboice is in a delightful rural setting, surrounded by a low stone wall and numerous trees. It is neither neglected nor over-developed. There is no charge for entry. Visiting Monasterboice is like discovering a new friend but one that you feel you have known for a long, long time, and one that you look forwarded to seeing again. Monasterboice is indeed a Powerful Place.