Dome

Overall view; Muiredach’s cross is named from an inscription at the base of the shaft (west face) asking for prayers for Muiredach who caused the cross to be made. The deaths of abbots with this name are recorded at Monasterboice in 844 and 923, the latter generally assumed to belong to the patron of the cross. Cut from hard quartzy sandstone, the monument is 5.4 m high and survives in almost perfect condition. It consists of three standard elements: a truncated pyramidal base, a main shaft and ring, and a small cap in the form of an oratory or house shrine with gable finials and a shingled roof. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 4/28/2009)