Isle of Man Carved Stone Cross Collection

The Isle of Man boasts one of the most outstanding collections of medieval carved stone crosses anywhere in the British Isles.  Some are protected in churches and shelters, whilst others stand in the open air of churchyards and even fields. Some are displayed at the Manx Museum in Douglas.

A number of crosses from the early Christian period and the ruins of four keeills can be found in Maughold churchyard, the site of an early monastic community pre-dating Rushen Abbey by several centuries.

The cross house in the churchyard contains the largest sculpture collection of any parish on the Island, including 38 stones from the churchyard and village. The church houses the only known Manx example of a parish cross, which bears our earliest carved depiction of the three legs of Man. Other points of interest include a World War One parish memorial by Philip Kermode and an Art Nouveau obelisk by Archibald Knox for the celebrated British novelist Hall Caine: both designers took inspiration from the older crosses.

You can also visit medieval crosses at the churches of Andreas, Bride, Jurby, Kirk Michael, Malew, Santon, Onchan and the old churches of Braddan, Lonan, and Marown. All are available to study in 3D online at: sketchfab.com/manxnationalheritage/collections/manx-crosses

The earliest stones carry Celtic designs and inscriptions using an early Celtic script called Ogham. You can see most of these early crosses in the shelter at Kirk Maughold. Norse sculptors decorated their crosses with both Christian icons and images from their own pagan mythology.