The Cross of Cong

Made in 1123 to hold a fragment said to be from the True Cross. Its oak core is covered with bronze plates, gold filigree, glass and niello. A polished rock crystal once protected the relic; the relic itself is gone.

The Irish inscription names the patron, High King Toirrdelbach Ua Conchobair, and the craftsman, Máel Ísú mac Bratáin Uí Echach. Two lines in Latin explain the object plainly: “By this cross is covered the cross on which the creator of the world suffered.” It takes its modern name from the Augustinian friary at Cong, Co. Mayo, where it was kept for centuries.