Calf of Man Crucifixion Altar Slab
Period: Early Medieval
NGR Easting: 216500
NGR Northing: 466100
Description: This remarkable slab was found on the Calf of Man in 1773. It is thought to have been found close to what is believed to be the site of a chapel, though no recognisable remains now survive. It is now incomplete, but would once have formed the front of an altar. The surviving portion shows the Crucifixion, with Christ nailed to the cross and the spear-bearer to the left. The scene would have originally been balanced by the figure of the sponge-bearer on the right, and there is tantalising evidence, in the form of a foot, for additional figures, almost certainly angels, above the arms of the cross. The bearded figures are intricately carved, their clothes draped and folded, those of Christ bound by a large brooch decorated with an endless figure-of-eight plait. The stone is now displayed at the Manx Museum.
View map location on Archaeology Data Service
Site & Monument Type: altar slab
Category: National Monuments Record: Statutory Ancient Monuments
Site ID number: Manx Cross 61
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