Kilnasaggart, County Armagh
This famous stone, standing 7 feet tall within a hedged enclosure in Edenappa townland, two fields in from the road and 1 1/4 miles south of Jonesborough, is virtually all that survives of an obscure early monastic site. The slender granite pillar has all the appearance of a prehistoric standing stone whose pagan origins have been disguised with the symbols of Christianity.
Those responsible for its religious conversion did a thorough job, liberally decorating both sides with a total of thirteen inscribed crosses in a variety of designs. The stone is unique among early Christian monuments in that it can be reliably dated to about 700 AD from clues contained in a dedication in Old Irish script on the south-east face. A considerable number of burials, some in stone cists, were uncovered close to the pillar during excavation last century, suggesting that this was a cemetery adjoining the monastic settlement.
Other Ancient Stones in County Armagh:
Aghmakane | Annacloghmullin | Annaghmare | Ballykeel | Ballymacdermot | Clonlum | Clontygora | Slieve Gullion
Click here to buy the Appletree Press book from Amazon.co.uk. For more information click on: Ireland's Ancient Stones - A Megalithic Heritage by Kenneth McNally, published by Appletree Press.
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