Wall monument, Strade, Co. Mayo

Co. Mayo |

Religious Objects

Wall monument, Strade, Co. Mayo

In the chancel wall of the ruined Dominican priory at Strade, County Mayo, there is a 15th-century canopy tomb that repays close attention far beyond what its setting might suggest.

The arch above it is filled with flowing cusped tracery of the kind described as flamboyant, its hood-moulding lined with eleven crockets on each side, the whole thing crowned by a cross-shaped finial and flanked by chamfered pinnacles. At the base of the arch, on the western side, a small dog has been carved, a conventional medieval symbol of loyalty. It is easy to walk past such details. It would be a mistake.

The front of the tomb chest, or mensa, is divided into two panels, each carrying four figures carved beneath their own miniature ogee-headed canopies, an ogee being the double-curved, S-shaped arch common in late medieval decorative stonework. On the left panel, the three Magi carry their gifts in vessels resembling ciboria, the liturgical containers used to hold consecrated hosts, and beside them stands a figure of Christ displaying the Five Wounds. The right panel is where things become more interesting. Alongside a bishop, St Peter, and St Paul, there kneels a bearded man with a pronounced moustache, dressed in a friar's habit and in the act of drawing back his cowl, seemingly towards the bishop who faces him. A weaver's shuttle hangs from his belt, which may point to an association with the wool trade, or may carry the older symbolic meaning of time passing, the shuttle's rapid flight across the loom being a standard medieval image of mortality. This figure is generally read as the donor of the tomb, a lay benefactor who, as was not uncommon among wealthy patrons of medieval religious houses, appears to have taken on the friar's habit in later life as a form of penitential preparation for death. Who he actually was is not recorded.

The tomb recess acquired a later layer of history in the 19th century, when a memorial to Anne Deane, a cousin of John Dillon, the MP and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, was set into the back of the niche. The two monuments sit together in the same stone recess, separated by several centuries and very different intentions, which gives the whole thing a quietly odd quality that the carving alone would not produce.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Wall monument, Strade, Co. Mayo. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement