ardboe cross

The only surviving remnant of an early monastery here is the 9th/10th century High Cross situated on a dominant hillock overlooking the lake. It would appear to be the only High Cross in Northern Ireland where the shaft and head of the cross are likely to have belonged together originally. Old Testament scenes decorate the east face (Adam and Eve, Sacrifice of Isaac, Daniel in the Lions' Den and Three Hebrews in the Fiery Furnace) and south side (Cain slaying Abel, David [or Sampson?] and the Lion and David slaying Goliath, surmounted by the desert fathers Paul and Anthony). The north side seems to read unusually from top to bottom and appears to represent scenes from the early life of Christ culminating in his Baptism on the bottom.

The west face bears panels of the Adoration of the Magi, The Marriage Feast at Cana, The Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes and Christ's Entry into Jerusalem. Above these are scenes from the Passion of Christ centred on The Crucifixion, while the other face of the head bears scenes of Christ's Second Coming and The Last Judgment.