Monifieth Sculptured Stones facts for kids
The Monifieth Sculptured Stones are a group of five old stone carvings from Scotland. These stones were made by the Picts, an ancient people who lived in Scotland a long time ago. They are called Class II and Class III stones, which means they show a mix of Christian symbols and special Pictish designs.
These stones were found in or near St Regulus' church in Monifieth, Angus, Scotland. They were discovered when old church buildings and walls were taken down in the 1800s and 1900s. Today, you can see all five stones at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
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Where the Stones Were Found
Most of the Monifieth stones (Monifieth 1, 2, 3, and 4) were found at St Regulus' Church in Monifieth by 1870. Monifieth 5 was found later, in 1928.
One of the stones, Monifieth 4, might have originally been at a place called St Bride's Ring in Kingennie. It was probably moved to Monifieth a long time ago, before the church was changed a lot. Now, all five stones are kept safely at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
The Story of the Stones
The church and land in Monifieth once belonged to a group of monks called the Céli Dé. Later, around the early 1200s, the church was given to a big monastery called Arbroath Abbey.
Over time, old church buildings were taken down and new ones were built. When a church built before the 1500s was demolished in 1812, workers found parts of even older buildings. They also found some of these sculptured stones.
One of the stones, Monifieth 4, was actually being used as a stone beam above a door in the old church! People thought it had been brought from a place several miles away called St Bride's Ring.
In the mid-1800s, two of the stones (Monifieth 1 and Monifieth 2) were taken out of the church walls so they could be drawn for a book about old Scottish stones. Later, a third stone (Monifieth 3) was found in a nearby garden. These first four stones were given to the Museum of Antiquities (which is now part of the National Museum of Scotland) in Edinburgh in 1870.
A fifth piece of a stone cross (Monifieth 5) was found later, in 1928. It was built into the churchyard wall. This piece looked similar to Monifieth 4, and it was also given to the museum.
What the Stones Look Like
These stones are important because they show us what art and beliefs were like in early medieval Scotland. They are divided into "classes" based on their designs.
- Class II stones have both a Christian cross and older Pictish symbols.
- Class III stones only show Christian pictures, like scenes from the Bible.
Monifieth 1
This stone is a tall, flat piece of grey sandstone. It is about 0.72 meters (2.4 feet) tall. It has designs carved into it that stick out from the surface.
The front of Monifieth 1 has a cross with special key-like patterns carved into it. The back of the stone is very interesting. It has two "double disc" symbols. One has a zig-zag line (called a Z-rod) going through it, and the other does not. There is also a comb symbol. Part of the stone is damaged, where a piece was cut out when it was used in the church wall. The bottom part is also damaged, but you can still see a bit of a round symbol. Since there's a comb, this might have been part of a "mirror and comb" symbol, which was common for the Picts.
Monifieth 2
Monifieth 2 is another Class II stone. It is also made of grey sandstone and is about 0.45 meters (1.5 feet) tall. Some parts of the back are quite worn away.
The front of this stone also has a cross with a special shape. The middle of the cross has a pattern of knots, and the arms have similar knot designs. The top and bottom parts of the cross have spiral patterns. On the back of the stone, you can see several different designs. There are creatures with bird heads along the top edge. In the upper part, there's a long-necked creature on the left and a deer's head on the right. In the lower part, there's a crescent shape with a V-rod. There's also a worn figure that looks like it has a halo. Some experts believe this figure might be the Virgin Mary.
Monifieth 3
This is another Class II stone, about 0.45 meters (1.5 feet) tall. The front of Monifieth 3 has a cross shaft (the main part of the cross) with birds and animals on the sides. The back of the stone is full of different images. You can see a person riding a horse, a crescent symbol, a dog, and a strange fish monster. There's also a scene of a dog chasing a stag (a male deer) and a pair of heads that look like they are biting each other.
Monifieth 4
Monifieth 4 is the biggest of the stones. It is a piece of a tall, free-standing cross, about 1.16 meters (3.8 feet) tall. This stone is a Class III cross, meaning it only has Christian pictures. It was once built into the front of St Regulus' Church.
The top part of the front shows a scene of Jesus on the cross, but the part of Jesus above his waist is missing. On either side of his legs, there are two human figures. Below this scene, there are two robed figures holding objects that are hard to identify. Even further down, there are two more figures holding drinking horns. At the very bottom of the cross, there is a seated person playing a harp, similar to a figure on another famous Scottish cross called the Dupplin Cross.
The back of Monifieth 4 has a round knotwork pattern above a creature that looks like it's biting its own back. The sides of the cross also have knotwork designs and strange, fantasy creatures.
Monifieth 5
Monifieth 5 is another piece of a Class III high cross. It is broken below where the arms of the cross would have been. It is about 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) long. The front of this stone also shows part of a crucifixion scene, with the figure of Jesus broken off at the waist. Two figures are standing next to his legs. The lower part of the cross is very worn, so any decorations there have disappeared. The back of the cross is also too worn to see any clear designs.
