There are two crosses in the Blessington graveyard. The first one is a plain but massive cross, with a solid wheel. Unfortunately its south arm is broken and missing. It's 1.35 metres tall, the shaft is 35 centimetres wide and the arms are 1.13 metres wide. It's 22 centimetres thick. This cross stands on a base 63 centimetres tall and 85 centimetres wide. Its faces are aligned southeast to northwest. The second cross, 16 metres west from the first one, is slender and in better conditions. It's 3.73 metres tall, the shaft is 43 centimetres wide, the arms are 1.77 metres wide, and it's 32 centimetres thick. It stands on a base that is 45 centimetres tall and 1.27 centimetres wide. The cross faces northeast (40°).
Both crosses come from an old monastic place in the Liffey valley that was flooded for a hydroelectric scheme around 1940. Although called St. Mark's Cross, the tallest one was known as St. Baoithin's Cross in the 19th century.
The coordinates shown on this page refer to the first cross.
|