Isle of Man Cross to be relocated – History Blog

After 10 years of fundraising, planning and research, 11 ancient and medieval cross panels from Kirk Andreas Church in the Isle of Man will be relocated to a new museum space within the church, where they can be seen in all their detail and easily protected.

The Isle of Man Cross is composed of 210 cross plates, carved from local stone slabs on the Isle of Man from the late 5th century to the early 13th century. The earliest example is the Celtic Christian high cross. After the Norse conquests in the ninth century, the Vikings merged the tradition of stone tablets carved with runes and intricate patterns of animals, figures and gods with the Celtic cross. The Isle of Man National Heritage Center scanned and digitized the Manx Cross and made a 3D model available for you to peruse here.

Over the centuries, they were often recycled and used as lintels, wall construction, and even as tie-down posts. During the Victorian era, antiquarians recognized their historical significance and recovered them from random locations, placing them in groups in church yards where they were no longer used to carry loads and park horses, but where they remained fully exposed to the elements.

In the mid-20th century, many Kirks moved their collections of cross panels into church buildings. Now they are indoors, but the movements are done without the concepts of modern conservative principles such as reversibility and the use of non-invasive materials. The 11 stone slabs and fragments of the Kirk Andreas Church were concreted directly onto the church floor. They are very close and difficult to observe and difficult to protect.

Removing the delicate slate slabs intact from their concrete bases was a daunting task, so a decade was spent figuring out how to achieve this.

Church authorities and the Isle of Man National Heritage Board have agreed to move the cross to a better site in the north-west corner of the nave, which will include a state-of-the-art museum display of fragments of three small cross panels of special value and interest. […]

Two large crosses, the 5-foot-tall Sandulf cross plate and a 6-foot-tall stone carved by Gaut (who gave his own name in runes) will be placed so that they can be freely inspected, while a collection of early Celtic fragments (some of which are found at Knock y Dooney keeil) will be placed along the north wall.

All will have focused lighting to ensure every surviving pattern in the carving is visible.