Graveslab, Mothel, Co. Waterford
Co. Waterford |
Tombs & Memorials
Inside the ruined nave of the Augustinian abbey at Mothel, a limestone graveslab lies with a carved cross whose arms terminate in fleur-de-lis, the stylised lily motif more commonly associated with French heraldry and ecclesiastical ornament than with the quiet countryside of County Waterford. The slab measures 1.78 metres in length and between 0.53 and 0.7 metres across, substantial enough to have marked a person of some local consequence, though no inscription survives to name them.
The abbey at Mothel was an Augustinian foundation, belonging to the order of canons who followed the Rule of St Augustine and were a significant presence in medieval Irish religious life. Augustinian houses often served as parish churches as well as monastic centres, which may explain why a decorated graveslab of this kind came to rest within the nave rather than in a more enclosed conventual space. The fleur-de-lis terminal was a popular decorative choice for funerary crosses in the later medieval period in Ireland, appearing on slabs across several counties, and its presence here suggests the slab was carved by someone familiar with wider ecclesiastical fashions, even in a relatively rural setting.