High Celtic Cross Glendalough Stock Photography

High Crosses, also known as Celtic Crosses, which can be found at important monastic sites, are Ireland’s biggest contribution to the Western European Art of the Middle Ages.But what was their purpose? They were used to mark meeting points for religious ceremonies and also to mark boundaries and mark a place as sacred and as hallowed ground. Early Monastic settlements usually included a church, a cross and sometimes even a round tower. Mass goers would gather around the cross to pray together. The magnificent stone monuments that we see today were predated by much smaller crosses made of wood and metal.