Historic Cashel High Cross in Gold - Recreation Collection

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This handcrafted Gold Celtic Cross faithfully recreates the Croke Celtic Cross at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary, a cross erected in 1895 in honour of Archbishop Thomas Croke.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Material: Gold
• Height: 3.3 cm (1.30 inches)
• Width: 1.4 cm (0.55 inches)
• Approx. Weight: 4.9 g
• Handmade in Ireland
• Hallmarked in Ireland

This pendant is a detailed double-sided replica of the Croke Celtic Cross, reproducing features from both faces of the original monument at the Rock of Cashel.

The original cross was erected by the people of Cashel in 1895 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of Thomas Croke, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly from 1875 to 1902. Archbishop Croke was also the patron-founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the governing body associated with Ireland’s national games of Gaelic football and hurling.

Handmade and hallmarked in Ireland, this gold replica brings the history and distinctive Celtic decoration of the Cashel monument into a wearable piece of Irish jewelry.

Solid gold is made to order, please allow three weeks for making.

History of the Croke Celtic Cross

The Croke Celtic Cross stands at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary. Unlike Ireland’s early medieval High Crosses, this is a more modern monument, erected in 1895 by the citizens of Cashel.

The cross was created to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Thomas Croke, who served as Archbishop of Cashel and Emly from 1875 until 1902.

Croke also holds an important place in the history of Irish sport. He was the patron-founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association, established to promote and preserve Ireland’s traditional games, particularly Gaelic football and hurling.

The front of the Croke Cross contains three principal panels. The lower panel refers to Cormac of Cashel, while the panel above refers to St. Ailbe at Emly. Above these is Celtic-style decoration, with the robed figure of the crucified Christ forming an important part of the design.

The reverse is richly decorated with elements drawn from the Celtic artistic tradition, including interlace, spirals and zoomorphic patterns.

Although erected in the late 19th century, the Croke Cross was strongly influenced by Ireland’s great medieval High Crosses of the ninth and tenth centuries. Those monumental crosses commemorated religious belief, learning, important events and prominent figures.

The Croke Cross continued that tradition in a later period, using the familiar form and decorative language of the Irish High Cross to commemorate an important figure in Irish religious, cultural and sporting history.