Gold Cross of St. Patrick Carndonagh

30mm high and 11mm wide. 3g silver weight. This cross is a double-sided replica of the original cross. Handmade in sterling silver and hallmarked in Ireland.

The Cross of St. Patrick is also available in sterling silver.

This lovely cross, known as the Cross of St. Patrick, is found in Carndonagh in the north of Donegal. Originally Carndonagh was a bishopric, said to have been established by St. Patrick himself.

Because this cross does not have the ring that we all associate with Celtic crosses it was thought that it must have been erected in the 7th or 8th centuries – a forerunner of the ringed cross. Now, however, when scholars consider the quality of the carving they believe that the cross was made in the 9th or 10th century.

Its intricate interlace patterns are similar to the decoration found in the pages of a late 10th century psalter which came from Ireland. The figure on the shaft of the west face is said to represent the Crucifixion: by others to represent Christ in glory with his arms raised in blessing. In the early Church the cross was a sign of victory over sin and death so, following the ideas of still another scholar, maybe we should say it represents both! Below the figure of Christ there are three figures of ecclesiastics and at present it is not clear who they may be.